


Walela

by theoriginalhenrietta



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pocahontas (1995) Fusion, Attempt At Using Native Language, Attempt at Humor, BAMF Marco, Basically Pocahontas Inspired Fiction With Some Spice and Everything Nice, Canonical Character Death, Eren Deserves Nice Things, Eventual Happy Ending, He's Not Actually Pocahontas, I Changed Names, I Feel Bad For Jean, I'm Sorry, M/M, Mikasa Is a Raccoon, Out of Character Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Period-Typical Racism, Pocahontas!Eren, Soldier!Levi, Spirit Animals, Time Skips, Violence, What Have I Done, hopefully, just a few
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-30
Updated: 2019-03-08
Packaged: 2019-08-11 00:27:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 35,629
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16465199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theoriginalhenrietta/pseuds/theoriginalhenrietta
Summary: Eren was a curious young boy who dreamed of freedom. The freedom came in form of a mysterious man from another world.***Levi was just about to shoot the young savage, but the words that came out of the young boy’s mouth froze him on the spot, once again. ”My name,” the savage started tentatively, his pronunciation quite off.





	1. Curiosity

**Author's Note:**

> I feel like I'm treading super dangerous waters by writing this fan-fiction that has been haunting me for two years now. I finally found the courage to write my very first story, tackling a hard topic at that. I've always respected the native american culture and found it extremely intriguing and interesting. Which why I am afraid of writing about it, afraid that I botch it all up and accidentally insult someone. *wiping sweat from forehead*
> 
> Anyways, I've made some major changes when it comes to how history actually went, obviously. Since this is fiction, I've tried to give myself a little leeway when it comes to actual native american culture and how the historic events progressed and everything that happens in between and all that jazz, you know? And I'm sorry if you're offended by that fact. If you are, I'm sorry, this story is not for you. And to point out: I am not racist. But for the sake of the story, I have used some insulting terms that are considered racist. As I said, this story might now be for you, but I've tried to pour my love into it. 
> 
> Also, major changes in the character names which I will list here. I've used mostly Cherokee words to add some color to the story. There are going to be some awkward POV changes too, but hopefully you can bear that. Sorry, in advance. Gosh, how many sorry words have I used? Most of the word translations will be at the end notes. Point out the words I've forgotten to translate, pleasethankyousomuch.
> 
> English is not my first or my second language. Sorry about that too.
> 
>  
> 
> List of changed names in this chapter:  
> Igasho "Wanders" - Eren Yeager  
> Pahana "Lost White Brother" - Jean Kirstein  
> Gawonii "He is speaking" - Grisha Yeager  
> Mika "Raccoon" - Mikasa Ackerman

In the heart of a forest, a shallow river carried Eren’s mind to another realm. The mirror-like river was so clear Eren could see his reflection and the fish playing among each other. Although the water was chilly, Eren dipped his feet under the cold surface and a refreshing feeling washed over him. He breathed in the fresh air. He could hear the forest come to life in the early hours. The forest was his sanctuary. Eren closed his eyes and allowed the nature come to him. Small, furry creature was resting against his thighs and he sighed quietly. ”Mika,” he chastised quietly and tried to make the small critter move somewhere else. Eren opened his eyes and stared at the raccoon which was trying to make his lap into a some sort of nest. He decided to give it up and close his eyes once again.

He didn’t know how long he had stayed. Long enough for his people to come look for him, that was for sure. Eren let out a calming exhale, feeling the grass underneath him falling asleep under the sun rays. He had heard stories. Stories about grass; how grass came to life at night and Eren firmly believed in it. Grass felt different at night - more alive. During the first morning hours it felt amazing. That was the moment Eren truly enjoyed the chilly, refreshing morning dew under his toes.

_”Igasho.”_

Eren slowly opened his eyes, just to see a familiar figure standing on the other side of the river. Mika jumped off from his lap and started trudging back towards the forest, not very fond of the familiar face. Eren knew what was coming. His name had always been accurate, Eren’s mother had said. The one who wanders. Eren eyed the figure on the other side and his peaceful demeanor slowly dripped into the river. It was replaced by his duty. ” _Pahana_ ,” Eren muttered quietly. He knew the man hated his birth name. Eren slowly rose from the riverbank. Pahana meant ’lost white brother’. Eren would have despised the name just as much as his friend did.

”Your father came back with the rest of the tribe,” Pahana said, fixing his bow and arrow behind his back. The man crouched down and touched the surface of the river gently with his index finger. ”He is upset,” he quipped softly, his amber eyes landing on red paint on Eren’s left pectoral. The symbols littering his chest were a set of wolf tracks. If only it gave Eren a sense direction like it was supposed to.

”My father is upset about a lot of things,” Eren huffed, carefully stepping into the river and walking towards his friend slowly. He didn’t want to disturb the fish too much. ”He is upset about me learning about the white men. He is upset about me wandering about. He is upset about me not wanting to marry yet. Besides, you are curious about them too, **Jean**.”

The man bristled at the use of their made-up names. ”Your father would kill me if he knew!” Jean hissed, grabbing Eren’s wrist and pulling him out of the water a bit too roughly for Eren’s taste. They stared at each other in a challenging way. ”It’s just a name!” Eren defended himself without too much heat in his voice even though his mismatched eyes were telling a completely different story. Jean was captivated by them every single time, it struck a cord in him.

Jean let go of Eren’s wrist. ”It’s bad enough for me to look like a white man,” he spat at Eren’s feet. Jean turned away and motioned Eren to follow him. It was true, people used to give him strange looks and avoid him. But in the end, Jean had always been one of them, despite his hair being a lighter shade of brown. However, it still sparked fear among younger children and the elders. Eren, on the other hand, had always been a mystery to the tribe. Some elders said that Eren could see the Heaven and Earth at the same time. Some said, that he was sensitive to Angelic Gods. Eren didn’t know why is left eye was brilliant green. He didn’t know why his right eye was the shade of gold. Unlike Jean, his anomaly was a ’gift from the gods’, as the elders liked to call it.

Eren snorted as they walked side-by-side towards their village. ”My people doesn’t care,” he said in a softer tone, thinking about their shared past. ”Not anymore,” Eren continued, his eyes focused on the treetops. He and Jean had been friends for a long time. Eren knew he would do everything in his power to make sure Jean would live a happy life within his village. Despite their bickering and occasional fistfight, Jean was dear to him just like Eren was to him. ”Don’t get sappy on me now, Igasho,” Jean joked even though a faint blush was dusting his cheekbones.

Eren shrugged his shoulders. ”I’m just saying,” Eren muttered and the rest of the way was spent in a comfortable silence. They walked past many of their fellow villagers and Eren greeted everyone with a warm grin. The berry season was at its peak and most of the villagers were harvesting the forest eagerly. Eren’s eyes fell on a small child who was stuffing more berries into his mouth than into the basket he was carrying. ”Even though your name means a bear, you shouldn’t gobble them up like that. You need to do some work too,” Eren sighed and flicked the boy’s forehead gently. He picked a handful of berries and placed them into the boy’s small basket. Eren winked at the boy. ”Now you have something in your basket,” he whispered and watched as the boy’s face broke into a wide smile. Eren laughed as the boy started eating the berries again.

Jean observed the interaction with a small smile. Eren was so much like his father - gentle, peace-loving. But unlike their chief, Eren was curious about the outside world and its customs. It worried Jean to no end. Jean knew that the chief was worried too. Eren was always listening to the stories about white settlers and examining the books they had left behind. Surprisingly enough, Eren had started to learn the foreign language from what looked like children’s books. Jean had kept quiet about it, but he was sure that Eren’s father knew what his son was up to. ”Chief is waiting.”

”He can wait a few more minutes,” Eren huffed as they slowly continued their walk toward the village. They already saw tepees in the distance. The river Eren had been soaking his feet earlier was running right next to their village, steadily. Jean had been kind enough to take the longer route to their home. ”Feeling the pressure of getting married?” Jean joked and earned a small punch on his forearm for his loud mouth.

”Shut up,” Eren hissed when he saw his father talking to the elders with a small smile on his face. They walked a bit closer to get a whiff of the conversation. Apparently they were in talks of expanding their village since many of the other tribes had moved towards the inland. ”Why are they moving?” Jean whispered quietly to Eren whose response was a shrug of his shoulders.

”I don’t know, but I don’t like it,” Eren answered back and forced a smile on his face, when he saw his father finishing up the conversation.

”My son,” the chief turned around as he saw Eren and Jean approaching. ” Thank you, Pahana. You always seem to know what our little wanderer is up to,” he smiled and clapped Jean’s clothed shoulder blade. The bear tattoo felt like it was on fire under his shirt. ”You should carry your mark proudly.”

Jean nodded and shared a small look with Eren. He had been granted the tattoo of a bear after saving Eren from another tribe member. The symbol had been associated with courage, physical strength and leadership. Jean had never felt like he deserved it. He could remember running away from pure fear - but hearing Eren’s pained scream made him turn back. Jean could still remember how his arrow had pierced the man’s skull. It had been so easy. It had been so quick. And Jean could have done it before Eren screamed. In the end, Eren had always told the story in a different way. Eren had lied to the chief, to everyone. As if Jean had never ran away. Never left Eren behind. ”Yes, Gawonii.”

Gawonii smiled and turned his attention back to Eren. ”Where were you?” he asked in a sterner voice as he guided Eren away from Jean. Eren rolled his eyes subtly. ”At the river. Not far,” Eren supplied in an even tone, not wanting to humor his father by saying that he had been at the downstream; a much farther than he was letting on. Gawonii hummed in thought as they walked towards his tepee. The tepee was painted with a variety of red symbols and it was the biggest in their village. ”Your mother would be upset if she knew how reckless you’ve become.”

”She’s not here anymore, father,” Eren quipped, pain blooming in his chest as they entered Gawonii’s tent. He didn’t like to talk about his mother. ”She’s part of the nature, like she had always wished. She was a free spirit, just like me. You can’t deny it.”

Gawonii sighed. ”You really are like your mother,” he said quietly, turning his back to Eren. Gawonii shed his buckskin robe and the feather headdress on a small shelf. ”I’m worried about you. I know you heard what I was talking to the elders. Something is coming and you wandering around like a wolf cub without its mother is a concern of mine. You’re supposed to be leading soon. I’m old, Igasho. We need to talk about you getting married and-”

”I’m not ready,” Eren countered and eyed the symbols inside their tent. His fingers caressed the logs that kept their home standing. ”How about Pahana?” Gawonii suddenly asked and Eren whipped around so fast his surroundings became blurry. ”It’s not ideal, but at least you two would be a strong unit.”

”I’m not marrying my best friend,” Eren said, recoiling from Gawonii’s words. The very thought of marrying Jean made his skin crawl. Sure, Jean was handsome and quite possibly, one of their strongest warriors but every cell in his body screamed how wrong it was. ”I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t accept either.”

Gawonii smiled softly. ”He wasn’t against the idea,” he admitted quietly, watching as Eren’s face started to take a red shade. ”You two have always been special,” Gawonii explained, getting a faraway look in his eyes. ”Maybe it’s something you could think about and talk through. We aren’t too stuck into traditions, Igasho. If two spirits find each other compatible, who are we to try and separate them. It would go against our beliefs.”

Eren swallowed thickly and shook his head. ”No-”

”Igasho! You need to stop dreaming about the outside world and wake up to the reality. The knowledge that you are searching for will get you killed one day. I will not allow you to keep trekking in the forest and expanding your horizons. It will end badly. What will happen to the tribe if you perish!?” Gawonii finally snapped at Eren’s defiance. ”Do you really think your thirst for white settlers goes unnoticed?!”

Eren flinched and hung his head in shame. ”I’m sorry,” he said softly, knowing that if he crossed his father more today, it might end in a punishment. Gawonii had been away for two months, traveling around and gathering information about the other tribes and the white men. He had to be tired. ”You should rest, father.”

Gawonii closed his eyes and nodded. ”You are right, Igasho. Go help the villagers with the harvest and make sure that they leave enough for the forest as well,” he said quietly, opening his eyes to see Eren slowly shuffle out of the tepee. ” _Heyatahesdi_ , Igasho.”

Eren bowed his head as a sign of respect and took off towards the forest. Before he could even reach it, Jean stopped him. ”Igasho?” he asked tentatively and holding out a basket for him. ”I think you’re forgetting something,” he continued.

Eren glared at Jean, taking the basket out of his hands roughly. The wind whipped strongly around them as they stared at each other. ”What the fuck, Jean?” Eren hissed, biting his tongue as he realized that they weren’t alone. ”What the fuck, Pahana?” he tried again, glaring daggers at the taller man. ”You were okay with us getting married?! And you don’t even have half a mind telling me about it! Oh no, you were joking about it almost an hour ago! How long have you known!?”

Jean’s face flushed red from embarrassment and he had the audacity to look away from Eren’s fierce glare. ”Your father made me promise not to tell you,” he said in a calm manner, even though his blood was boiling and he wanted to punch Eren’s pretty face. ”And I can’t possibly turn down a request from the chief. How would that even look like? Come on. And to answer to your question.. Would be around two moons?”

Eren turned his back to Jean and he stomped toward the woods. He knew that Jean was following him like a leech anyways. ”Leave me alone,” Eren hissed even though Jean wasn’t really listening to his request. He never listened when it was about something important. Eren reached for a small rock on the forest floor and chucked it towards Jean, who easily dodged it. ”I don’t want to be near you. You knew how I feel about marriage!”

”Of course I know how you feel about it!” Jean yelled at Eren, wanting to grab at him, but there was nothing to grab on. Eren only wore buckskin trousers and a necklace with a bear tooth around his neck. He could always grab the necklace but it was too precious for Eren. Even Jean wouldn’t do that. ”It’s not like I would be tying you down! You would be the goddamn chief! No one could tie you down.”

”But my duty does!” Eren said and threw another rock at Jean that finally hit its mark. It scratched Jean’s cheek and after the throw they both fell silent. Eren stared at the small streak of blood that he had drawn with the small rock and it made him feel sick. ”I’m sorry,” Eren whispered and backed away from Jean slowly.

This time Jean didn’t follow him.

 

* * *

 

”Is that **the** Levi Ackerman?” Reiner Braun asked from his tall friend. Both of their eyes were glued to a fairly short man with an imposing aura. ”The one who has killed more savages than anyone in the country?” Reiner asked in a more quiet voice. ”Bert, tell me this is not a dream.”

Bertholdt shook his head. ”It’s not a dream,” he promised quietly, watching as his best friend kept staring at the raven-haired man. ”Stop staring.”

It was like a sign for Levi to slid his gray eyes towards the duo that kept staring at him in wonder. He decided to ignore them in favor of finding his uncle. The ships that were carrying them towards the New World were way too big to be just for exploring. Levi had had his doubts about the whole situation but had decided not to question it for the sake of his own well-being. He walked until he reached a cabin his uncle was staying at. Kenny Ackerman, greedy man and his hate for savages rivaled Levi’s. Levi was a reasonable man. Kenny was not.

Levi knocked on the door and waited for a permission to enter. As he entered, he saw Kenny lounging on a chair, map in front of him. ”We’ll be there before sundown,” Kenny announced to Levi who closed the door behind him. ”We are not expecting any sort of combat on the first few weeks. One of our sources told us that the savages are retreating towards the inland. Makes our job a lot easier.”

Levi hummed in thought. Even if Levi had prejudices against the savages, as they called them, he had always been more of a ’shoot if your life is in danger’ than ’shoot because they are savages’ kind of man. ”What job?” Levi dared to ask now that they were out of the country. ”The crown was very vague about my job description on this journey. I was told, we were only going to explore. No colonies. Nothing. Yet, we have three giant ships sailing toward the same destination.”

Kenny smirked at Levi’s words. ”You’re not that naive, are you?” Kenny asked in humorous voice as he pointed towards at a small spot on their map. ”Of course we are going to explore. Meanwhile, we are also going to search for resources. I’m sure we can find something that is worth our while,” Kenny sighed dramatically. ”Maybe... Even bring a few slaves back with us. Hard workers, I tell you, those savages. I’d rather have them dead, of course. As for a colony... If our sources prove right, it might be good to colonize the area. Which means we need to get rid of the remaining savages on the area. I will be the leader of the colony, after all.”

Kenny’s words felt like poison to Levi. Those were his orders. Levi sucked in a calming breath, his face devoid of any emotion. It was highly likely that he would be driving the savages away from their homes - killing innocent women and children and taking the strong men to be sold for slavery. It disgusted him. ”Understood,” he said with a nod of his head. ”I take it you have good soldiers with you?”

”Reiner Braun. Bertholdt Hoover. Connie Springer. Armin Arlert - though, he’s more interested in the actual land and the.. **Natives** as he keeps insisting on. Springer seems eager, he’s a novice so you might want to keep tabs on him,” Kenny cleared his throat a little, while thinking about the mop of blonde hair that kept saying that the savages had rights. ”Erwin Smith will be your commanding officer, but my commands will override his. Understood?”

”Yes, sir,” Levi said, feeling bitter about the whole situation. He knew Erwin. He was a respectable man. They had fought together when they had both been in their early eighteens. Now they were pushing twenty-six and a lot had changed in those years. Levi wasn’t sure if Erwin was still the man he had come to respect. ”Anything else?”

Kenny rose from his chair and walked towards a small window. ”Yes,” he breathed out with an evil glint in his eyes. ”I’ve given an order to every single soldier out here and I expect you to follow it as well.”

Levi didn’t say anything to acknowledge Kenny’s words, but he was listening nonetheless. ”If you encounter a savage, it needs to be shot on sight. No compromises.”

After Levi left the cabin, he had to take some time to reassess the situation he was put into. The reason for this expedition was clear. They were wiping out a large part of the savages to make more room for rich ass people. Levi held in his frustration as he thought about the position he was in. ”Captain Levi?”

Levi turned his head towards a young boy who saluted with so much vigor that Levi was momentarily blinded. That was something. ”Armin Arlert, at your service. I am eager to learn more about the natives on this expedition and I hope we can find a common ground-”

”I don’t give a shit,” Levi said in a bored tone, brushing past the mushroom head. ”We have our duties and examining savages and their behavior is not one of them,” he reminded and watched from the corner of his eye as Armin followed him dutifully. ”I believe Governor Ackerman has explained your duty, or do you need to be reminded?”

Armin visibly deflated, but stood his ground. ”What Governor Ackerman orders, is wrong!” Armin hissed in a loud voice, clearly not afraid that Kenny might hear and execute Armin on spot. Levi turned around and pushed Armin harshly against the wooden wall. He heard the younger man yelp under the pressure of his arm. ”Listen, you little shit. If you want to keep your head on your shoulders, I’d suggest that you keep it down,” he whispered quietly. Levi was so close to Armin that he could see that his eyes weren’t just dull and gray. They had fire in them. ”You don’t think it’s right either,” Armin whispered back, keeping his voice defiant.

”It doesn’t matter whether it’s right or not,” Levi said and eased his hold on him a little. ”What matters that we need to stay alive and think about the future, Arlert. If you have a problem with following orders, I think you should stay on the ship.”

Armin bit his lower lip and shook his head. ”I can follow your orders.”

”Good. Now, make sure that everyone is ready to get on land within six hours.”

 

* * *

 

”It’s... Beautiful,” Connie supplied as they had finally reached their destination and boarding a small boat. The forest in front of them was limitless, radiant, and ancient. A variety of animal sounds, predominantly those of rummaging critters, added more life to the forest, and drowned out the swaying of tree tops in the wind. ”It’s so serene.”

Armin nodded excitedly, but was shunned by Reiner who told them all to stay alert. ”Savages might be lurking behind those trees,” he supplied as Levi rolled his eyes. He kept rowing the boat calmly, keeping his senses alert anyways. Erwin had ordered Levi to take Reiner, Armin and Connie with him to the shore and make sure that it was safe to land. Levi had decided to make a little detour towards the river he saw snaking in the middle of the forest. If they encountered any savages, they should be camping near rivers. Ocean wouldn’t make much sense, since it didn’t have fresh water supply. ”Do you think this is what England looked like before it was discovered?” Connie wondered out loud.

”Of fucking course,” Levi said with a hint of frustration in his voice. ”Do you think houses and castles just rose from the ground, Springer?”

Connie flushed scarlet as Reiner howled with laughter. Armin asked everyone to quiet down as he scribbled down everything he heard or saw within the forest. ”That is a Sycamore tree!” he squealed quietly, eager to show his notes to professor Hange Zoë once they were back in England. Armin, however blinked as he was sure there was someone standing on of the branches. But it was gone the moment he was about to inform it to Captain Levi. Leaving it be, Armin decided not to write it down in his journal.

”The area seems safe and secure,” Levi said after an hour of rowing around the area. ”Let’s get back to the ship,” he said, standing up in the boat and letting Reiner take over the rowing part. He wanted to survey the area without the need of using his navigation abilities at the same time. ”Let’s not get too adventurous. Go back the same way we came.”

”Captain Levi?” Connie asked tentatively and reached to touch the water with his hand. It was cold and refreshing - and oh, so pure. ”Do you think we’ll encounter any savages? I’m ready to finally prove myself to my family.”

Levi knew that Connie’s family had deep roots within the army and they had served the crown for a long time. He was quite sure Connie’s father had been taken as a captive by the natives. Levi knew how those stories usually ended. ”You can never be too sure,” Levi said evenly as they slowly reached the ships. He gave them a sign to start bringing the ships closer to the shore. ”It will end in massacre on both sides if we do. I don’t like the sound of unnecessary death.”

Armin’s mind went back to the conversation he had had with Levi under the deck. They slowly made their way to the shore and Levi ordered his subordinates to go and help the others tie the ships off. He was soon approached by Erwin who was wearing the appropriate gear for war. It didn’t bode well with Levi. ”No sightings, Erwin,” Levi sighed quietly. ”But the area has definitely been inhabited by the savages at some point. There were empty clearings along the river,” he explained in a soft voice.

Erwin nodded. ”I was afraid that we might encounter some when I sent you with your little crew,” he said in a grave voice, looking around in wonder. ”Still, I have to say that this is truly one of the most beautiful places I have had pleasure of exploring,” Erwin admitted and touched a trunk of an enormous ash tree. ”So many new species, Levi. I think it’s great that we brought Arlert with us since women are not allowed on board for now.”

”Women?” Levi asked in a humorous voice. ”Who did you want to bring?”

”Hange Zoë,” Erwin said a bright smile as he looked around. ”She would have lost her mind over every single critter and plant,” he sighed quietly. ”It’s a shame that many of these trees will be cut down to make a colony for the settlers,” Erwin admitted as he saw Kenny come down from the ship, definitely admiring the view in front of him. ”It’s certain. Levi. Your uncle is out for blood.”

”Tell me something I don’t know,” Levi said and reached for the musket that Erwin was handing him. He strapped it behind his back. ”It seemed quiet enough. You know how it goes, Erwin,” Levi said as he started walking towards the woods. ”I am a curious being, after all.”

Erwin tipped his head in acknowledgment and started barking orders to the soldiers after Levi disappeared into the forest.

 

* * *

 

Eren wasn’t sure how long he had been gone for or how far from the village he had walked. He had silent company of Mika behind him, however. It seemed like the raccoon had been attached to his hip for two years now. Eren liked her, he didn’t mind her presence. Sometimes the raccoon seemed to be even more curious than he was. ”You know, you’d think that Jean would understand me after nineteen years of knowing each other,” he huffed quietly and yelped when Mika jumped on his shoulder effortlessly. ”What?” Eren asked when the critter started hissing in his ear.

Eren slowed his steps to a halt. He heard it too. Something was off about the forest and Eren jumped towards the nearest tall tree he could find. He easily climbed a branch after branch until he was near the treetop. Mika was still securely on his shoulders, sniffing the air. Eren scanned the area with his eyes and they landed on a small boat that carried four men with weird outfits. Eren was way too far to make out any distinct characteristics, but he did notice one of the heads turning towards the tree Eren was currently occupying. Eren swiftly hid himself among the leaves, his heart racing like a wild horse. ”They are turning back,” he silently observed and started to descend from the tree. ”Mika. I need to follow them.”

Mika was definitely disagreeing with Eren, her fur getting fuzzier as she hissed at him and bit at his bare ankles. ”Stop it,” Eren hissed back and gently pushed her away. ”If you’re not going, I’m going alone,” he gave a threat to the small creature who started to follow him despite her fit of anger. Eren kept his distance to the group, observing them from behind boulders and trees. He noticed one of the men carrying a weapon that spouted fire and smoke. Eren remembered his father telling him and the rest of the warriors about those weapons.

Eren climbed on a large boulder when he saw three humongous ships on the shore where the group of men had arrived at. He hid himself carefully, making sure that Mika wasn’t giving away his position. From his vantage point Eren was able to recognize the people that had arrived to their land.

They were white settlers. White men. Eren felt his curiosity and fear spike at the same time. It was his first time seeing people different from him. No, they weren’t different. They were humans, just like Eren was. His eyes landed on two men who were having a conversation further away from the ships. Eren slowly slid closer, keeping himself hidden behind another larger boulder. Eren couldn’t understand much of what they were saying, only bits and pieces. They didn’t seem hostile, which calmed Eren’s beating heart just a little. However, Mika seemed to be a bit more agitated the longer Eren stayed.

His mismatched eyes followed the shorter man with dark hair. The man was going to enter his forest. His people’s forest. Eren swallowed a small fit of panic as he decided to follow the man in a quiet steps. Eren decided that staying among the trees and leaves might be a better solution than relying on the bushes and boulders that were scarce once they would reach the river. Eren easily climbed a nearby tree just as the man whipped around in alert at the noise Eren had accidentally made. ”He is a warrior, Mika,” Eren concluded quietly, noticing how alert and sensitive the man was to every single detail in the forest. Mika seemed like she was sighing from exasperation. ”I thought **you** were the curious little thing.”

A small moment went by quickly. Eren started to worry when they were reaching a small waterfall, upstream of their camp. Mika seemed to notice his worry as she expertly jumped down and stole the man’s immediate attention. Eren winced in worry, but relaxed when the man crouched down and put his weapon down on the ground.

”You look weird as shit,” Levi exclaimed after the small critter had nearly scared his pants off. He examined the critter in detail and reached for his bag that contained dried meat and biscuits. Armin would have been way more excited about the animal than Levi currently was. The animal’s hesitance was clear and Levi gave it a bit more space and left the food items on the bedrock they were both standing on. ”Come on. Not going to hurt you. Only observing for that Arlert kid,” he murmured quietly. Levi spared a quick look at his surroundings. He could see a small waterfall little further ahead and a calm river right next to him. Levi could easily dip his hand in without straining too much.

The critter approached the items and reached for the biscuit Levi had laid out. It started munching it fast, using its tiny little paws expertly. It was amazing and reminded Levi of monkeys. ”Interesting,” Levi muttered quietly and watched as the critter ate the piece of jerky eagerly as well. After that it seemed a lot more curious about Levi in general.

Eren wanted to groan from where he was observing the situation. Mika had always been fairly cautious, but of course, curious. But when it was about food - raccoons were raccoons. So easily bribed. Eren carefully clicked with his mouth a few times to gain Mika’s attention without alerting the strange man.

Levi assumed the weird clicking was some kind of noise the critters made. It turned its head towards the tree behind them in a curious way. Its ears were picking up on the sound and Levi tried hard not to smile at its antics. It almost looked like it could be easily domesticated. For what cause, Levi wasn’t quite sure. His eyes went back to the river, but a small snap of a twig above him made him freeze. The little critter didn’t seem to mind the noise, since it kept reaching for his bag where the snacks resided. ”Stop it,” Levi snapped at the animal, noticing a weird reflection on the river’s surface. He carefully reached for his musket and tried to look behind him casually.

Eren carefully slid behind the tree trunk when he saw the man reaching for his weapon. His heart was in a set of panic. Had the man somehow seen him? Eren licked his lips and clicked a few more times. He saw Mika darting into the forest and he heaved a small sigh of relief. Eren carefully looked back towards the bedrock. The man was gone and Eren couldn’t see him anywhere. Eren felt a small pang of disappointment blooming in his chest as he carefully came down from the tree. He stepped on the spot where the man had been just a few moments ago. Eren placed his hand on the bedrock’s surface and closed his eyes. He couldn’t feel any tremors which meant that the man was either quick to disappear or he was...

Eren whipped his head towards the almost silent sound behind him. It looked like the man was even more surprised than Eren. The weapon was aimed at Eren’s heart and neither moved a single inch. Eren could see the man a lot more clearly now. He was wearing a white shirt and some sort of armor over it. His pants were black, just like his boots. A helmet, Eren recognized, was hanging from his neck, hidden behind his shoulders. His skin was pale and his eyes were brewing a storm, Eren could tell. The man in front of him was a troubled soul.

Levi was for the first time in his life stunned in silence. The matchlock kept burning away and Levi quickly extinguished it. He didn’t know why he did it. He didn’t know why he was going against direct orders. Every cell in his body screamed to shoot the savage like Kenny had ordered him to. Levi knew what the consequences would be if he let that savage go. ”You’ve been following me, haven’t you?” Levi muttered calmly, his eyes wondering about the weird shades of the savage’s eyes. He had never seen anything like it. His skin was darker than his, but the shade of his hair reminded Levi of chocolate. All in all, the savage in front of him was a human being. Beautiful. Calm. He noted the animal tracks painted on his chest. Despite the paint on his skin, the savage didn’t look like a warrior which was odd to him.

” _Mattaquenatorath_ ,” Eren managed out of his mouth in a small fit of panic as he started to back away from the man in front of him. That seemed to alert the man because he raised his hands in a calming manner. Eren took that as a good sign and stayed put for now. He calmed down his breathing as the man kept staring at him in wonder. ”I don’t think you can understand me,” the man said, but it sounded a bit like gibberish to Eren. He did pick up a word ’understand’ and he pursed his lips. Did the man want to communicate with him? To understand him?

Levi was just about to make a decision to just shoot the young savage, but the words that came out of the young boy’s mouth froze him on the spot, once again. ”My name,” the savage started tentatively, his pronunciation quite off. Levi was still able make out what he was saying. The savage then pointed at himself and said ’Eren’. Levi blinked a few times. That was not a native name. That was a name he had heard in Europe once or twice. Levi decided to humor Eren and point at himself. ”My name is Levi,” he said slowly, watching as Eren’s face lit up in glee at being understood. Levi wanted to curse his luck of not bringing Arlert with him. The boy had studied natives all his life and who knew, maybe the kid could understand Eren better than he did.

”White. Kill blood,” Eren tried to say, noticing how Levi’s brows furrowed in concentration. ”Ship,” he continued, clearly trying his best to communicate with Levi. ”Peace,” Eren pointed at himself. Levi found himself smiling a little. What a young curious thing. Levi licked his lips, not knowing what to tell Eren. He reached for his bag, watching as Eren got ready to run away. ”I come in peace,” Levi pointed at himself and took out some paper, ink and a quill. He remembered that natives used different symbols and pictures to tell stories. Levi had an inkling feeling that Eren had learned English from books. The fact that they even had such things made Levi wary. The tribe they were about to confront might have been bigger, older and stronger than they had countered before. Levi carefully drew a lousy picture of an army and the shore they had just been in. ”Dangerous,” he supplied to Eren and pointed at the picture, hoping that it got the message across. "Don't go there."

Eren stared at the picture in wonder and came a bit closer to this Levi person. It seemed like the man was warning him about a mass of people that had come to their shores. Eren didn’t take the warning to his heart. Levi didn’t seem like a bad person. Eren even felt a little bold. ”Language,” he started and took the pen and paper from Levi’s hands. He examined the quill in wonder for a few minutes until he did what Levi had done with it. It came empty. Eren blinked and pursed his lips at Levi. The quill wasn’t working.

Levi brought the bottle of ink to Eren and took a hold of his hand slowly and gently. He dipped the tip into the bottle and then gestured towards the paper. Eren started quickly drawing a book and repeating the word ’language’. Levi didn’t understand what Eren meant. ” _Mattaquenatorath_ ,” Eren said again, the word coming back to Levi. ”Not understand,” he said and touched Levi’s chest. ” _Mattaquenatorath_ ,” Levi tested out himself and Eren nodded. ”I don’t understand,” he supplied right after which made Eren clap his hands in amazement. Eren was teaching him his language. Then it dawned to Levi.

Eren wanted Levi to teach him his language. To this day, Levi had never met a savage this eager to learn about the world around him. It had always been assumed that savages were not intelligent. This notion was proved very wrong if Eren had been learning their language without any help from the outside world. ”No,” was Levi’s answer to Eren’s plead as he kept tapping at the book he had drawn.

Eren understood what the word ’no’ meant and he gritted his teeth together, shoving at Levi in his fit of anger. Why did the man deny his thirst for knowledge? Eren knew that the man understood what he had meant. Maybe his father was right; the white men were selfish and ignorant of those around them. They pillaged and destroyed homes, not caring about the nature and living things they were killing in the process. Mika decided to peek from the bushes because of the slight commotion. Levi’s eyes fell on the critter that approached them once again, this time a bit more hostile.

Levi carefully picked up his belongings, avoiding the little critter that was definitely defending Eren. ”Dangerous,” he supplied again, hoping to make Eren understand. Levi couldn’t take Eren to the camp with him and he couldn’t keep coming back alone. Someone was bound to find out and then things could get dangerous, for both of them.

Eren put on his best sad face as he watched Levi carefully back away from him. ”Stupid white man,” Eren muttered to Mika, lifting the raccoon up easily. He burrowed his face into her soft fur and sighed. ”Let’s go home.”

 

* * *

 

When Eren finally reached the camp, the forest was bathed in dark. The moon illuminated the tepees every once in a while. It was a cloudy night and Eren felt like a storm was brewing in the horizon. He was not surprised to see Jean waiting for him at his tepee.

”Where the hell were you, Igasho?” Jean snapped at Eren the moment he entered his own tent. Eren could see that he was sick with worry and decided to go easier on him. He still regretted hurting Jean in the first place. ”I was at the upstream,” Eren said, giving Jean the half-truth. ”Mika was with me.”

Jean rolled his eyes and made sure that Eren wasn’t hurt anywhere. ”As if a raccoon could keep you safe,” he huffed and eyed the raccoon that had followed Eren all the way to the tent. Eren merely rolled his eyes at Jean’s antics. ”You’ve never liked the upstream,” Jean pointed out quietly as Eren made his way to a cot situated near the middle of tepee. He watched the luxurious gray fur that Eren smoothed down before sitting on it. It was a wolf skin. Jean was reminded of the day he had helped Eren hunt the enormous wolf down. It felt such a long time ago.

Eren swallowed thickly and petted the soft fur quietly. It seemed like the boys were thinking about the exact same thing. ”Things change,” he said and gave Jean a slightly heated look. ”Can you please go now?”

”Fine,” Jean huffed and grabbed his bow and quiver from the ground. He strapped them behind his back and walked out of the tepee. Few seconds later he returned and poked his head inside the tent. ”What?” Eren snapped at Jean.

”Fishing tomorrow?”

Eren couldn’t help but smile a little. ”Fishing it is.”


	2. Lesson

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ”And you wonder why they call us savages!” Eren yelled, tears staining his face. ”What have you done!?” he screamed, pain evident in his voice. ”He is one of us! He has done nothing wrong!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a bit of a time skip and I regret it just a little bit. I could've used that time to really work on what was happening with Levi and Eren, but if I did that, this story would easily reach 100,000 words and that's... I'd never get this done. This might be a bit fast-paced, but it slows down a little after this chapter. 
> 
> Also, I know that Eren's fast-learning isn't all that realistic since the written language wasn't perfect in the 17th century. But for the sake of the story and getting their relationship onwards, I need to make it a bit unrealistic.
> 
> Oh well, enjoy.
> 
> New characters:  
> Kuruk "Bear" - Gunther Schultz

It became a habit of Levi’s. Every night, he’d come to the upstream. He’d admire the waterfall and the steady flow of the river. Maybe Levi hoped to catch a glimpse of the peculiar native. Eren. His eyes held something familiar to Levi. They longed for freedom. Levi wanted to laugh at himself. Eren wasn’t tied to anything - the land was his. He could go wherever he wanted, do whatever he wanted.

”Maybe I have a some sort of twisted idea of them,” he muttered to himself as he sat on the bedrock. Levi had grown fond of the bedrock. It was a perfect spot to see everything the upstream had to offer. Levi had shown the area to Armin who had been ecstatic about meeting the bear-like-dog-thing that didn’t appear the second time. Just like Eren hadn’t appeared in a week. Might be a blessing, Levi thought sourly.

During the night, the forest was eerily quiet. The waterfall gave a steady hum, but other than that it was quiet. The full-moon illuminated the river with a pale glow. His eyes followed the shoreline lazily, but stopped when the surface of the river was disturbed right next to him. Levi was quick to reach for his gun. A hand on top of his stopped his movements.

Eren.

Levi’s throat felt dry as he stared into those bright eyes. ”Eren?” he asked quietly when he really focused on those mismatched eyes. They were sad. They weren’t as bright, as curious as they had been a week ago. Eren lifted his hand away and sat next to him in silence. ”Levi,” Eren simply said and touched Levi’s shoulder. Levi found himself nodding in confirmation.

After sitting together in silence what felt like an eternity, Levi finally noticed Eren cradling something on his lap. Levi touched Eren’s knee and then pointed at what Eren was holding. The boy carefully held out his hands and in his hands were an old book. Ripped to shreds. Levi wasn’t sure whether the book had always been like that. ”Father,” Eren tested out the word softly, pointing at the ruined pages. ”Angry.”

Levi’s heart shattered a little at the small voice, filled with so much sadness. It seemed like Levi had been very wrong about Eren. The boy wasn’t free at all. Levi took the book from Eren’s hand and observed the pages in a comfortable silence. There had been alphabets, pictures and short rhymes. Now it was in ruins and somehow Eren was in ruins because of it. It was an odd feeling. Levi licked his lips gently as he thought of a solution. ”Why?” Levi asked, hoping that Eren would understand.

It seemed like that was one of the words Eren did know as his eyebrows shot up a little. Eren pointed at himself. ”Father. Chief. Eren,” he said one word at a time and Levi’s eyes widened in realization. He was holding the crown jewelry right on the palm of his hand. They could have done anything if they captured Eren. Anything. Eren was the chief’s son. He was going to be the next chief. ”You’re the chief’s son?” Levi asked, in a puzzled voice. That explained why Eren looked like he hadn’t seen bloodshed in his life - he was protected. Eren nodded, his eyes sad and miserable again.

Now Levi could understand.

Eren wasn’t free. He was bound by his duty. Duty to his tribe. Eren was curious about the outside world and it was seen as a sin. In a way, it was. They were enemies, Levi and Eren. Levi couldn’t even imagine what the tribe would do to him if they discovered them. He sighed loudly which made Eren tilt his head to the side, eyes full of questions. Levi had always been a bit of a rebel. Eren was so much like him it was ridiculous.

And Levi’s rebel side said it wanted to be rebellious again. He thrived for action and suspense. The feeling of danger nitpicking at his brain. Levi pointed at the ruined book and looked Eren in the eye. ”I can teach you.”

Eren didn’t seem to quite understand. ”Teach language?” Eren asked in wonder, waiting Levi to say no again. However, the bright smile on Eren’s face was something Levi would never forget when he said: ”Yes”.

 

* * *

 

”Where are you going again?” Jean groaned from his tepee in the middle of the night. Eren slowed his steps to a halt and rolled his eyes. Jean’s sense of hearing had always been abysmal. Eren peeked his head inside Jean’s tent. ”This is the only hour I’m allowed out of the village,” Eren pointed out quietly.

It had been a month since Gawonii had found Eren’s book stash and ruined every single book - there was nothing left. Ever since that day Gawonii had placed Eren under an order that he was not not to leave the village without Gawonii’s handpicked warriors. Jean wasn’t one of them anymore. Gawonii had implied that Jean might have a soft spot for Eren, allowing too much.

”You’re not allowed out of the village at all,” Jean sighed back, sitting up from his cot. ”You’re just sneaking out while everyone else is sleeping,” he muttered quietly, rubbing the sleep away from his eyes. ”What do you think will happen when your father finds out?”

”He won’t,” Eren huffed, touching his necklace in a quiet wonder. What would happen? Would he tie Eren to a pole? That might’ve been something his father would do, actually. ”I know you’ve been sleeping in my cot after I leave.”

Jean sighed quietly. ”And pray tell, why do you think I do that?” Jean asked, challenging Eren. ”Because I care about you. Because every single night the watchman comes to check up on you. He just peeks inside to make sure you’re in bed, sleeping. You don’t know that because you’ve been gone every night for a month now. For hours, Igasho. What are you doing?”

Eren shook his head. ”Nothing important. Catching up with Mika and the rest of the forest. I need some time on my own too,” Eren explained, watching as Jean bought the lie quite easily. He would tell Jean one day. However, right now, wasn’t a good time. Eren had known Levi for a few weeks now and everything had been wonderful. Eren had learned so much. He didn’t want to jinx it by telling Jean.

”Look, I need to go,” Eren muttered and flicked puppy eyes at Jean’s direction, knowing that it would work like magic. ”I just... I just need some freedom,” he said, disappearing from the tepee quickly and quietly, leaving Jean behind to groan from frustration.

The upstream had turned into a place of happiness and learning. It used to be a place where Eren nearly lost his life. It was a place Jean had saved him. It was a place where Eren first experienced what it was to feel pain and fear. But it had changed for better.

Eren arrived at the upstream, noticing that Levi was already sitting at their bedrock and feeding snacks to Mika. It was endearing. Eren slowly climbed on the bedrock, noticing a small amount of books next to Levi. ”Hello,” Eren said easily, smiling when Levi greeted him back. Eren had learned that he was quick to learn, quick to adapt. ”Biscuits?” Levi asked, holding some for Eren too.

Eren was quick to snatch one and he munched it in silence. These kinds of moments were Eren’s favorite. Levi was surprisingly in sync with the nature. The trees and animals accepted him so easily. A man like that could never be their enemy. ”It’s good,” Eren declared, just like he declared every single time Levi offered him a new biscuit. There was something about Levi’s demeanor that set Eren off though. Something was different. ”Is something wrong?” Eren asked, his pronunciation still off.

Levi seemed to ponder what to say - maybe to simplify the sentence into something Eren could easily understand. ”My people are expanding towards this area,” Levi told Eren. Eren furrowed his eyebrows as he tried to understand what ’expanding’ meant. ”It means,” Levi said when he noticed Eren’s struggle. ”It means that they are coming closer to your land.”

Eren stopped eating the biscuits as he let that information sink in. ”It dangerous?” Eren asked, petting Mika’s fur absently. ”You are kind. Are they not kind?”

Levi decided not to mention how he had slaughtered more natives than Eren had even met in his entire life. The thought of driving Eren away from his home... Levi shook his head. ”They will kill,” he said, pointing at the gun on the bedrock. ”With those.”

Eren eyed the gun, reaching for it slowly. He touched it, feeling the iron and wood under his fingers. ”The weapons that breathe fire?” he muttered in wonder, looking inside the pipe. Levi snatched the weapon away from Eren, afraid that the boy could get hurt just by looking at it. ”They are guns.”

”Guns,” Eren hummed. ”I tell my tribe. We hide.”

Levi shook his head. ”No, you can’t,” he said a bit too loudly for everyone’s liking. He cursed the situation they were in. ”Your tribe will kill my people,” Levi tried to explain and pointed at Eren’s chest. He didn’t know how to explain it to Eren, but it seemed like Eren understood just fine.

”But I tell them not kill your people. We peaceful,” Eren said, touching Levi’s knee in a haste. He liked Levi. He didn’t want Levi to die. ”You are kind. You are teach me,” Eren defended Levi who merely smirked.

”It’s ’teaching’, Eren,” Levi pointed out and took out the books he had brought for Eren. ”These are for you,” he said and watched Eren’s face morph into pure glee. ”Be safe. I need to get back.”

Eren grabbed Levi’s wrist in hurry. ”Why you leave?” he asked, not letting go of the pale hand. ”I have not teaching you anything,” Eren said defiantly. He wasn’t going to let Levi go that easily. Levi had so much to learn about Eren’s customs. Eren’s language. Mika kept pawing at Eren’s bare feet, craving for attention.

Levi shook his head. ”I will be back tomorrow. I promise. Tomorrow.”

”Promise?” Eren made sure and squeezed Levi’s hand harder.

”I promise.”

 

* * *

 

”Captain Levi!”

Levi lifted his head towards the voice that kept drilling the word ’natives’ into his every brain cell. He closed his book with a small thud. ”What is it?” he asked from Armin who came running towards him. It had been two days since Levi had last seen the mysterious native. Their latest meeting kept haunting Levi. He had decided to avoid the upstream where he had been meeting Eren - if that even was his name. Somehow, Levi doubted it. The feelings he had for Eren were becoming complicated. It was better to put some distance between them.

Kenny had started to dig the land around them for gold and diamonds. Levi had a feeling they would be discovered sooner or later - it was a miracle it hadn’t happened yet. Erwin had denied using explosives, which had drawn quite the verbal fight between Kenny and him. Levi had been glad not to be a part of that particular conversation. The panting boy in front of him had taken it upon himself to explore the land with Reiner. So far, Armin had found fifteen new species and drawn a sketch of everything new and peculiar.

Levi watched as Armin struggled for breath, he had definitely run in a hurry. ”What is it?” Levi repeated the words he had uttered earlier. He started to reach for his musket when Armin started to shed tears. Something was wrong. ”Reiner... We saw a native... And- and-”

Levi got up from the bench he was sitting on so fast his book dropped to the ground. ”Where? What did you do?” Levi hissed quietly. He took calculated steps away from Kenny’s little hut they had build. ”Where is Reiner?”

Armin wiped his eyes. ”Reiner... Reiner killed him,” he managed to force out and Levi’s blood turned to ice. The boys had ventured way too far for Levi’s liking and the risk of shooting a gun might’ve dwarfed everything they had achieved within the month. ”Armin. Did Reiner shoot?”

Armin shook his head. ”The native came too close so Reiner had to use his knife,” he explained in a hurry, eyes going towards the forest every few seconds. ”What do we do?” Armin asked quietly, looking like he might throw up any second.

Levi inhaled softly, thinking about their best course of action. It seemed like they were drawing attention. The last thing they needed was Kenny to find out what they had been trying to hide. ”We need to hide the body from all parties,” Levi said, hoping that the person Armin and Reiner had killed wasn’t a person of high status. He hoped it wasn’t Eren. ”Is Reiner with the body?” he just now realized. Reiner would never understand the need to hide the body from Kenny.

Armin nodded. ”Okay,” Levi exhaled, trying to think about the possibility of the curious boy being dead from a stab wound. For the first time in a long time, Levi was scared for someone else. The bright boy who only wanted to be free - much like Levi did. ”Show me where he is.”

The longer they walked, the stronger Levi’s dread grew. Armin was leading him uncomfortably close to the upstream. Reiner was crouching next to a body that was hidden with branches and leaves. That had been good thinking on Reiner’s part. Maybe it was Armin’s part. Who the fuck knew. Levi crouched down next to Reiner, his heart beating uncomfortably in his chest. He noticed blood on Reiner’s hands and body. Levi didn’t ask whether it was his or the native’s blood.

”He was pretty young,” Reiner said, looking at the tuft of brown hair that was peeking under the leaves. Levi felt a bile rising in his throat. It was the same shade of chocolate. Levi tried to pull himself together as he carefully lifted the branches to reveal the body underneath. The native’s eyes were wide open, brown speckles staring into nothingness. Levi let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. ”Thank fuck,” he muttered, letting the tension wash away slowly.

”Sir?” Reiner asked, his brows furrowing from confusion. Levi saw Armin shifting next to him as well. He realized his error and stood up. ”It doesn’t seem like this man was a person of high status,” Levi supplied at turned his eyes towards Armin, who quickly nodded in confirmation. ”What do you think, Arlert?”

Armin straightened his back. ”You’re correct, I think. But I’m feeling a little conflicted,” he admitted quietly, looking at the dead man lying next to their feet. ”I’ve been writing down my observations and it seems like there must be at least three different tribes in the area,” he explained and then pointed at the symbols in his notebook. ”This man seems to be from a tribe that has moved away from the area,” Armin said, pointing at the red tribe markings on the native’s thighs. ”It seems odd to me, that’s all. He was alone.”

Reiner scratched his stubble, deep in thought. ”Maybe he was left behind?” he suggested, but Armin merely shook his head and crouched down once again, tracing the tribal marks with his fingers. ”I think they would have erased the marks, don’t you think?” Armin muttered out loud. ”My only conclusion would be that there is another tribe around this area and this man was delivering a message to them.”

”A tribe?” Reiner asked, holding his musket closer to his chest. ”We should report this to our commander and Governor Ackerman,” he said, looking at Levi with a serious face. Levi stared right back at Reiner, cursing Eren’s luck. This was bound to end in a bloodbath. ”Arlert. Is there a possibility that your theory is wrong?”

”Huh?” Armin asked dumbly at first, then realizing his error. Reiner had been standing right next to them and Armin had been adamant about saving the natives and persevering their land. However, his theory just brought everything out in the open. ”I might be wrong, of course,” Armin said and pointed at the tiniest detail in the paint. ”There’s a small crack in the paint. Reiner might be more right than I am, actually,” he lied smoothly, observing the damage Reiner had done. Three stabs on the chest and one, smooth line on the man’s throat. ”What do we report to Governor Ackerman and Commander Smith?” Reiner pressed, not noticing the tension between Levi and Armin.

”Report this: A savage sighting has been made and taken care of appropriately. The savage was alone and there are no villages or tribes nearby. Tell them, that in the most likeliest of scenarios, the savage either betrayed its tribe or was left behind,” Levi told Reiner. ”Armin and I will take care of the disposal. You will return to the camp and give the report. If Governor Ackerman asks for more details, he can come to me or Armin, as he is our specialist. Dismissed.”

Reiner saluted, hint of suspicion in his eyes as he left for the camp. Levi turned to look at Armin once Reiner was far enough. ”What message?” he asked, eyes drilling into the young boy. ”Do you have a way to find out?”

Armin shook his head. ”But according to our intel, tribes have started to move towards inland. It might mean that they had seen settlers from their shores or the forest has been telling them to move away. Sounds crazy, but bear with me,” Armin started to explain as he looked around in alert. Levi couldn’t blame him. His senses would be working overtime too. ”I think this man might have spotted us and he wanted to warn other tribes. It’s a far-fetched idea, but worth believing in,” Armin concluded softly. ”It might be everyone’s blessing that Reiner killed him.”

”What happened?” Levi finally asked.

”I stumbled upon an interesting animal,” Armin explained, forcing a small smile on his lips. ”I think it was the one you were telling me about,” he continued, pointing towards the tree where he had seen the animal. ”I was busy making a sketch of it when Reiner suddenly told me to grab my gun,” Armin recount the events that lead to a dead body. ”But it was too late. The native came at us with a spear, intending to kill us. Reiner was stabbed in the forearm and I tripped the native onto the ground,” Armin explained, closing his eyes from the fear that threatened to return. ”Reiner managed to reach for his knife and... Well,” Armin said and gestured at the body.

Levi sighed loudly. ”I’m glad you didn’t shoot him. That would have definitely alerted the nearby tribe,” he muttered to Armin, thinking of ways to dispose the body. Their only method would have been to bury it, but it would take way too long, especially now that they were way too close to Eren’s village.

”The nearby tribe?” Armin asked, his ears definitely not betraying him. ”Levi. You’ve been gone for ages in the middle of the night and now you haven’t been gone for two days. Your reaction to this body was alarming to say the least. What is going on?”

Levi wanted to slap himself. He had been so careful the past month. No slips. Nothing. And now, here he was, facing Armin Arlert who had caught him, hook, line and sinker. Levi decided to come clean about it. It was just Armin, for Christ’s sake. The man was practically a walking ’Save the Natives’ advertisement. ”I don’t know how near, actually. I’d imagine not too far from the upstream where I took you during our first week here,” Levi explained quietly, afraid that the trees had ears.

”And your nightly treks to the forest?” Armin asked, his brows furrowing further.

”I’ve been teaching this young... man, Eren,” Levi admitted, not able to face Armin anymore. It was embarrassing, almost. Eren had caught his affections so easily it was ridiculous. He didn’t want to share Eren with anyone else, but he knew. Levi knew that Armin would blackmail him into meeting Eren even if it killed him. ”He knew few words of our language when I met him a month ago.”

Armin’s jaw dropped the more he listened to Levi’s story about this mysterious native. ”How did he learn?” Armin asked, amazed by Levi’s reveal.

”I haven’t asked. On his own, I’d presume,” Levi said like it wasn’t such a big deal. ”Besides, we have more pressing matters in our hands right now,” Levi pointed out. ”We don’t have a shovel. Go get one. Quickly.”

Armin decided that their conversation was far from over, but agreed to go back to the camp and return with two shovels.

 

* * *

 

Eren smoothed down the covers that bind Levi’s books together. His eyes were scanning over a title that read ’Hamlet’. Another one read ’Don Quixote’. Eren pursed his lips together, wondering if he deserved such beautiful books if his father was going to find them. They were in a perfect shape, unlike the books he had found while traveling around with the tribe. That had been so long ago, he barely even remembered it. Eren opened the first page of ’Don Quixote’ and buried his murky thoughts into the book he barely knew how to read.

Levi hadn’t come like he had promised. Eren felt iffy about the whole thing. It was as if he had missed some important detail in Levi’s words. Eren touched the page he was on and tried to keep his tears at bay. ”What’s with the long face?” Jean asked as he stepped into the tent. The taller man froze when he saw the books Eren was holding in his lap. ”Are you serious?” Jean hissed and closed the flap quickly. ”Where did you find those!?”

Eren had tried to hide the books from Jean, but the man had come in way too suddenly. He sighed. ”I buried these in the forest a long time ago,” Eren answered, avoiding Jean’s critical eyes. ”Don’t tell my father,” he emphasized and Jean merely rolled his eyes.

”Do I look like a tattletale?”

”Yes.”

Jean groaned and pinched Eren’s cheek in the fit of his frustration. ”This is important to you, I’m not going to ruin it,” Jean sighed and pointed at the pages. ”So, can you read to me or something?” Jean asked, his eyebrows shooting towards his hairline. ”You’ve been reading those all your life. Can you translate?”

Eren blinked, knowing that he could translate at least half of the page by now. Levi had stressed that even their language wasn’t perfect in the written form. Apparently those things took time and effort. ”Sure,” Eren muttered as they both laid down on Eren’s cot. Eren started to translate the book, little by little. They were going an extremely slow pace and Jean was drifting to sleep.

Eren put the book down and turned to look at Jean’s peaceful face. It was so familiar. Eren was reminded by his father’s words. Marrying Pahana. Marrying Jean. His best friend. The thought was alien to Eren and no matter how much he tried thinking rubbing his cheek against Jean’s, he didn’t want to do it. ”I don’t want to marry you,” Eren whispered. Jean opened his eyes to look at Eren’s.

”I don’t want to marry you either,” Jean admitted quietly. Something had changed in Eren. Jean wasn’t the one who brought the smile and wonder to his face anymore. It was the stranger Eren kept meeting in the dead of the night. Jean knew it had to be someone. It had to be. There was no other reason for Eren to keep going back to the upstream. Jean felt jealousy bubbling inside his chest. ”Who’s the lucky girl?” he asked with a soft smile on his face.

”What?” Eren asked, his nose scrunching up. ”I don’t want to marry anyone.”

”What about your nightly visits then? Why did you look so damn miserable when I came here? You’ve never looked like that. I mean sure, you have, but not in a long time,” Jean kept pressing and he got up into a sitting position. ”Who hurt you?”

Eren bit his lower lip. ”It’s not your business,” he said, careful not to snap at Jean. That boy sure knew how to push his buttons when he wanted to know something. Hopefully Jean would get the hint, rather than push him. ”Look,” Eren said when Jean was about to say something stupid again. ”I’ll tell you someday. Just... Now is not the right time.”

”Right time, my ass,” Jean muttered. ”You never tell me anything anymore! You keep sneaking out and then you suddenly have a bunch of books! And by books I mean that they aren’t even broken! They look new!” he yelled at Eren, grabbing ’Hamlet’ from the cot and emphasizing his point. ”There’s not a single scratch on them! You said you buried them!”

”Stop it!” Eren yelled back and tried to reach for the book. The taller male easily kept it away from Eren, laughing while he did. ”You’re such an ass!” Eren groaned and tackled Jean into the ground. The book flew out of Jean’s hand, but Eren was still mad at him. ”You have no right to touch my stuff!”

Jean tried to push Eren away from him, but for someone like him, Eren was quite strong and packed a punch. ”I’m worried about you! The whole village worries!” Jean growled, finally managing to push the smaller boy further away. ”You’re going to be a selfish and arrogant chief one day! Your mother would hate to-” there was a sting on Jean’s cheek as Eren’s fist connected with it.

All hell broke loose after that. Jean punched Eren back and soon the boys were wrestling in the tepee, trying to hurt each other as badly as they could. It was vicious. Jean kept pulling at Eren’s hair. Eren tried to scratch Jean’s arms bloody.

It was a lot worse than their usual fights and bickering. The commotion inside the tepee drew the attention of other villagers and soon the fight was broken by other warriors and Eren’s father. ”What in the god’s name are you two doing!?” Gawonii yelled at the boys, whacking them both with his tree branch. Eren hissed from pain that bloomed behind his head, just like Jean was bowing his head down in pain.

Eren’s eyes slowly drifted towards the books that were scattered around the tepee and his heart started hammering painfully against his chest. ”Pahana was about to insult my mother,” Eren quickly said and Jean stared at Eren in shock.

”No. I was only telling him that your late wife would have hated to see Eren-”

”Don’t you fucking dare-”

”Trekking in the forest in the middle of the night,” Jean finished, his heart heavy from the truth. He was worried about Eren and if this stopped Eren from leaving the village, so be it. Jean had once prided himself with keeping Eren’s secrets. This time it was different.

Gawonii stared at the boys with a weary look. He looked so old and tired. Eren bowed his head in shame. He didn’t have anything to defend himself with. He had gone against his father’s orders and would take any punishment his father deemed necessary. However, the ire of his father wasn’t directed at Eren. It was directed at Jean.

”How long have you allowed this to continue?” Gawonii asked and stepped in front of Jean.

Eren knew what was coming. He tried to save the situation by lying, like always. ”Pahana didn’t know until-”

”I’ve known for a little bit over a month now. He leaves before the night watch makes his rounds. I’ve been covering for him,” Jean interrupted Eren and he could see the worried look on his face. Jean merely smiled at him and shook his head. Eren tried to get to Jean, but two warriors made him kneel on the ground and stay put. Jean was treated the same way. ”I see,” Gawonii muttered and his eyes flicked to Eren. ”Tie Pahana to the pole,” Gawonii said and Eren thrashed against the warriors behind him. He watched as the warriors dragged Jean outside.

”No!” Eren screamed after Jean, but he was soon hoisted up as well. They all followed Gawonii and Jean to the pole at the center of the village. ”Stop it,” Eren pleaded as they tied Jean’s hands behind the pole. ”Father. Stop it. This is not how we do things!”

Gawonii raised his hand, telling Eren to be quiet. He walked slowly towards Jean and crouched to his eye-level. ”A boy with no parents. I treated you like my own son. And this is how you repay our hospitality?” his voice boomed across the village. Gawonii straightened himself. The villagers started to gather around to see what was going on. ”Kuruk,” he called one of the older warriors to him. ”Bring the wolves.”

Eren started to thrash more violently against the men. ”Father! No!” he screamed as Kuruk brought three, domesticated wolves from a small pen. It was clear now. They were going to kill Jean. Eren’s limbs felt like fire, but warriors kept him locked tightly on the ground. ”Please!”

The growling wolves made Eren panic. ”You might have saved my son once, but endangering him continuously and failing to report is a crime punishable by death. You are acting directly against me, your chief and his son. You have betrayed the tribe,” Gawonii announced in a loud voice, making sure that every villager knew what Jean had done to his son. ”You are hereby sentenced to death.”

Jean merely nodded, staring into the eyes of those vicious animals Eren had spent months upon months of domesticating. It was ironic, really. He didn’t dare to look Eren in the eye. No one knew how they ended up in this situation. Gawonii? Peaceful? Caring? Maybe it had only been an illusion. Maybe it was what Jean had hoped for. He had been wrong all along. Eren was nothing like his father. Gawonii was a leader that didn’t hesitate to kill. Eren was compassionate. Loving. Kind. Everything that Gawonii wasn’t.

Jean watched as Gawonii released the wolves. He could hear Eren screaming bloody murder. It reminded him of the day he had saved his friend from a certain death. No. This was way worse. This scream was animalistic. The pain was something Jean had never experienced before. For a moment he thought about just giving in to the pain, letting it consume him completely as there seemed to be no way out. Maybe giving up was the right choice. Always listen to your body, the elders used to say. Perhaps they were right, Jean thought as the shock started to make him drowsy.

Eren finally managed to sock one of the warriors in the nose and break free. His father commanded Eren to stop, but the boy merely pushed the wolves away with a loud command. He wrapped his arms around Jean to shield him from the wolf bites. Eren cried into Jean’s neck. The biting ceased and the wolves slowly retreated to give Eren space. ”And you wonder why they call us savages!” Eren yelled, tears staining his face. ”What have you done!?” he screamed, pain evident in his voice. ” **He is one of us**! He has done nothing wrong!”

”You know nothing about the outside world!” Gawonii bellowed, stepping closer to Eren and Jean. ”The men you seek are unforgiving, cruel and selfish! They do not care about this world. They torture us and they will burn our kind alive! Your entire vision of them is twisted. It’s an illusion, Igasho!” Gawonii kept yelling, the villagers murmuring among each other. Eren felt his ears burning from shame and anger at the same time. ”Move away, Igasho. Warriors, take Igasho and tie him to my tepee-”

”If you kill Pahana, I will leave this village and no one will stop me,” Eren said before any of the warriors managed to touch him. ”If you touch me or Pahana right now, I swear to God I will kill you myself,” he spat at Kuruk, who slowly backed away. Eren turned his attention to Jean, who was bleeding profusely from his wounds. ”Hey? Are you still alive?”

Jean briefly opened his eyes, nodded and bumped his forehead against Eren’s. ”Fucker.”

Gawonii grit his teeth together, knowing that Eren would never move away if he didn’t relent. ”May this be Pahana’s punishment instead,” Gawonii said and stood straighter. ”Pahana is to be exiled and he won’t be part of this tribe anymore,” he concluded. ”Igasho. You may take your friend to the waterfall. Whatever happens to him, is Mother Nature’s will. When the sun rises, you will be back to face your own punishment.”

Jean wouldn’t last two days without help. Eren swallowed a lump down his throat. He looked towards the night sky and made a wish from deep within his soul.

_”Please.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo, Grisha/Gawonii really did it, huh? Jean has a complicated backstory and I've thought of making this into series where we will look into each character's history a bit more thoroughly. But first, we need to find a final conclusion for this story - I have no idea how this is going to end yet. There will be probably around five to six more chapters. We'll see how this story starts unfolding after this chapter.
> 
> ~Toodles.


	3. Punishment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ”Weapons? Weapons do not bring peace,” Eren whispered, turning to look at Levi. ”Better houses? Our houses are fine,” he muttered, sitting down and staring at the ships. ”Roads? You take away my friends’ homes. Animals. Spirits,” Eren said with a clear voice. They both fell silent after that and Levi took a seat next to Eren, feeling ashamed by his words. He felt like he could learn a lot just by sitting next to the young native.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the late ass update. My personal life has been a bit sad lately and I completely lost my interest in writing after that. But I will finish this story, I promise. I just need to get back on the saddle!
> 
>  
> 
> New characters:  
> Honovi "Strong deer" - Sasha Braus

”Levi. Shit, there’s two of them,” Armin exclaimed when he saw two figures nearing the river in the pitch blackness. He nudged Levi who was also alert. ”Is that Eren?” he asked quietly, watching as a smaller boy struggled carrying a taller one. ”But-”

Levi’s chest constricted at the sight. Something was wrong. ”Stay here,” Levi ordered and slid down from the bedrock. The moonlight was their only source of light. He hurried to Eren who was crying silently, carrying a dead weight on his back. ”Eren,” Levi warned Eren before he approached with quick steps. He helped Eren to carry the man towards the bedrock. Eren didn’t seem to mind Armin who helped in the process of lifting. ”What happened?” Levi asked, trying to calm Eren who was covered in blood.

”Pahana,” Eren cried miserably and touched Jean’s chest. ”Jean. It is easier,” he said, hands shaking from god knows what had happened in their village. ”My father gave punishment. Wolves bite him and I stop them. My dear friend.”

Levi had trouble keeping up with Eren’s explanation since his pronunciation was bad and the haste which he spoke was too much. ”Levi, he needs medical treatment in our camp,” Armin said as he examined wounds. He was by no means a doctor, but they had one with them. ”Marco wouldn’t have a problem-”

”My uncle is the problem!” Levi snapped at Armin, trying to think of a solution. Jean was definitely coming around from his pain induced slumber and the panic on his face was something that would burn itself into Levi’s retinas for an eternity. He heard Eren muttering to Jean in his native tongue. Meanwhile Eren calmed down his friend, Levi turned to Armin. ”We can’t just bring a native to our camp.”

”Look at him!” Armin hissed and pointed at his hair. ”He doesn’t look like a regular native. We can play it off by telling that we found him near an old village, staggering with these wounds. It’s not unheard of,” Armin whispered to Levi furiously. Levi was conflicted. This could end badly in so many ways. ”We can lie and tell them he’s a former prisoner who managed to escape.”

”I think you’re forgetting something vital. That kid doesn’t speak the language!” Levi said, noticing Eren’s distress. He turned to look at Eren. ”It’s okay. Don’t worry,” he tried to reassure the boy who just cried a bit more at his words. Maybe Eren didn’t understand?

”My name is Armin. Are you hurt?” Armin asked in what sounded like gibberish, pushing Levi aside gently. Armin knelt in front of Eren, whose crying seemed to cease for now. He knew that different tribes shared different languages, but it was worth the shot. ”I am not hurt,” Eren answered in his own language, but it seemed like Armin was the one who struggled this time. ”My friend is hurt badly. Can you help him?” he kept saying, but Armin merely shook his head. Apparently, Eren took this the wrong way because he turned to Levi in panic.

”Jean going die?” Eren asked, his voice threatening to break once more.

”No, he is not,” Levi quickly fixed the situation and glared at Armin who smiled sheepishly at him. ”We will take him to our... village,” Levi sighed, struggling with that particular word. ”Explain to your friend that Armin and I are good to him and will protect him. He needs to act like a prisoner of war. He’s been held as captive ever since he was a child and he ran away from the village that was further in the East.”

Eren stared at Levi, trying to keep up with his words. ”Levi and Armin good people. Will protect. Jean... is a prisoner from... Birth? Lives in that way,” Eren nudged towards the woods in the East. Levi had chosen the direction furthest away from Eren’s village. ”Exactly,” Levi praised Eren for his understanding and watched as the boy leaned close to Jean’s ear, muttering in a soothing voice.

Armin grabbed Levi’s sleeve to gain his attention. ”They’re going to ship that boy to England once he’s feeling better,” he muttered, trying not to let Eren hear that bit of the conversation. ”He’s never going to see him again.”

Levi decided not to react to Armin’s words. He would tell Eren later. This was not the time nor the place. Jean might not even see the next week if they kept stalling. ”Eren. Wait for me here,” he said, placing his hand on his shoulder. ”I will take Jean to my village with Armin. I will come back. I promise.”

”You break promise,” Eren said, shaking his head.

Levi grimaced. He had indeed broken a promise to Eren just two days ago. ”I know. This time I promise,” he said, pointing at his heart. ”I promise on my life.”

Eren nodded, watching as Levi and Armin hoisted Jean up. ”Heyatahesdi, Jean. Heyatahesdi, Levi. Heyatahesdi, Armin.”

 

* * *

 

”Hey! Bodt!” Levi banged against Marco’s door. Armin was holding Jean up on his own, which was quite the sight in itself. Levi stopped banging the door when he heard shuffling of feet and something falling down. Levi stepped aside when the dark haired male opened the door in his white briefs and undershirt. ”What?” Marco asked, rubbing his bleary eyes. ”It’s two in the morning.”

Levi was just about to explain the situation when Marco noticed the bloody man and Armin at his cabin’s door as well. ”Oh crap. Bring him inside,” Marco gestured, opening the door further. ”What in the world...? He isn’t one of our soldiers, is he?” he asked as Armin and Levi lowered Jean onto Marco’s bed. ”Not on my- fine,” Marco sighed as Jean was already there, soaking his sheets with blood.

”He isn’t,” Armin explained and watched Levi go help gathering supplies with Marco. ”We found him wandering in the woods with those wounds. It seems like he was escaping from the natives. I tried to ask him for more information, but he didn’t know our language.”

Marco hurried to Jean’s side and started to examine his wounds with a critical eye. He started pouring whiskey over the bite marks, watching as the man laid unconscious on the bed. Marco shook his head a little. ”It doesn’t look good,” Marco said as he took a jar of maggots from Levi’s hands. ”What’s his name?”

Levi shared a look with Armin. ”He didn’t say. Or he didn’t understand the question,” Levi finally told Marco, looking at Jean’s pale face. ”I should go back to where I found this man,” he said, sharing another look with Armin. ”There might be others.”

Marco nodded, concentrated on his task. ”That’s a good idea, captain,” Marco said, looking at a faint speck of blue paint on Jean’s shoulder. He waited until Levi left the cabin. ”When are you going to tell me the truth, Armin?” Marco asked as he calmly spread maggots over the wounds that were already turning slightly black. ”He is... A native, isn’t he?”

Armin looked at his feet. Marco’s gentle voice brought tears to his eyes. ”You don’t understand, Marco,” Armin whispered, his voice giving out. ”They would kill him.”

”Is he a good person, then?” Marco asked, smiling softly at Armin. ”I’m not judging you and I promise to tell your story if the Commander or the Governor asks,” he said, wiping away the excess blood from Jean’s body. Marco also scrubbed the paint, that was decorating Jean’s shoulder, away. The man under his hands was surprisingly light-skinned, if not quite tanned. ”What should I call him if he wakes up?”

Armin swallowed thickly, wiping at his eyes. ”His... His friend told us to call him Jean,” he said faintly, afraid that he had broken Levi’s trust. Armin fumbled with the edge of his shirt, feeling like a naughty child. ”Did Captain Levi go to this friend of his?” Marco asked softly, wrapping Jean’s wounds with fresh, white bandages. He walked to his closet and took out a white undershirt.

”Yes,” Armin muttered, deciding to help Marco dress Jean. He looked so different in white clothes. It almost looked like he belonged to their world. ”He doesn’t look like a native,” Armin whispered to Marco as they were finally done. ”At all.”

Marco nodded, eyeing Jean up and down. ”Are you sure that he is one?” Marco asked whispered back, his brows furrowing in a worry. ”This Levi’s little friend. How can you be sure he isn’t lying to you? Maybe Jean is a war prisoner from birth.”

Armin shook his head, sitting next to Jean carefully. ”He cried. He was in so much pain,” he said quietly. ”I’ve never seen anything like it. I’ve seen people and die and the pain that boy felt... I could physically feel it. There is no way in world he would have been lying about that.”

Marco sighed. ”Well, I’m afraid I’ll have to sleep on the floor now,” he finally said, small smile grazing his lips. ”I hope that Levi’s friend is unharmed.”

”Me too,” Armin muttered.

 

* * *

 

Levi found Eren sitting on the bedrock, staring at his bloodied hands. ”Eren?” he asked softly, careful not to spook the boy. Eren didn’t react when Levi came near him and touched his hands. The thought of blood staining him further disgusted Levi, but Eren was in too much shock to do anything. ”Come on, let’s clean you up,” Levi whispered, helping Eren into the water. Levi took off his boots to do the same thing. They were both standing in the cold water. ”Are you okay?”

Eren lifted his eyes slowly to meet Levi’s. Levi only now noticed the bruises on Eren’s face. His left eye was slightly swollen and his lower lip was slightly split from the middle. Eren had angry marks on his forearms and scratches around his torso. Deciding ask about it later, Levi gently helped Eren to clean up in the river. The blood that had dried was hard to scrub out without any washcloths. ”How is Jean?”

Levi perked up at the question. ”He will be okay,” Levi promised even though Marco’s words hadn’t been exactly encouraging. They continued the washing in silence. Once they were both gotten rid of most of the blood clinging to their skin, they climbed back onto the bedrock. ”Is he your friend?”

Eren pushed wet hair away from his eyes and nodded. ”Jean is old friend. I know him long time. Always together. He different from others. Different like my eyes,” Eren explained, looking into the river. There was no trace of blood in the water anymore. Always flowing, always steady. ”He abandoned when child. We take care of him. He is like us,” Eren emphasized. ”He is part of my tribe. My people.”

Levi listened to Eren’s story intently, still wondering what had happened in the village. ”Why was Jean hurt?” Levi asked slowly, watching as Eren struggled to find words to explain the entire situation. It pained to watch Eren’s face contort in mental pain again. Maybe it was hard to remember.

”I was to marry Jean. We don’t want that,” Eren said, sighing a little. ”We care deeply for each other. Jean worried of me wandering in forest at night. We fight together. My father come with warriors to stop fight,” he explained. Eren wished he could take everything back. If Eren hadn’t lost his cool, everything would be the same. Jean would still be happy, with him. ”Jean tell my father of me wandering. He angry to Jean. He want kill Jean. He bring my wolves to hurt him,” Eren muttered, touching the red paint on his chest. ”I punch warrior, save Jean. He forced to leave. I bring him to you.”

”Why was he angry to your friend?” Levi asked, not really grasping the motive. ”Shouldn’t he be happy to know such a thing?” he asked, tossing a small, bloody rock into the river. Levi leaned over to wash his hand quickly.

”Jean should tell him early,” Eren sighed, clearly tired from the day. Levi couldn’t blame him. ”I punished too in the morning. I don’t know what he do.”

Levi grit his teeth together from pure anger. The natives weren’t much different from them when it came to punishments and executions. Both nations were violent, terrible creatures. ”Don’t go,” Levi whispered, not knowing what he was asking. He couldn’t bring Eren to his camp. Kenny would torture answers out of Eren. Levi didn’t want that to happen, but he didn’t know which was worse.

Eren looked surprised. He watched as the boy gently touched his hand and a grin split on his face. He was like the sunshine in the early mornings. ”Take care of Jean,” he said softly.

Levi shook his head. ”They won’t kill you,” he promised to Eren. There was no reason for the chief to kill Eren - maybe force him to choose a partner. Enforce the rules. It would be counterproductive to get rid of the only ’heir’. Levi let his mind get stuck on that fact. He would see Eren again. ”Walk with me,” Eren said, helping Levi stand up.

Levi held Eren’s hand as they walked into the dark forest. Levi felt naked. He didn’t have any weapons with him. But somehow, Eren’s presence was soothing. He didn’t feel like he was in immediate danger. ”Where are we going?” Levi asked. They had been walking for what felt like hours. It couldn’t have been more than half an hour, though.

”Wait,” Eren simply said. It took them another half an hour to reach the edge of the forest. The only thing Levi could see was the sky that was starting to wake up from the very first rays of sunshine. Eren pulled him towards the cliff in front of them. Levi walked calmly to the edge.

The view that unfolded in front of his eyes was devastatingly beautiful. He could see the many mountains that surrounded the area. He could see the trees swaying in the wind and birds flying over the blue river that he had grown accustomed to. Unfortunately, Levi could also see his ships further ahead. He could see the destruction Kenny had brought with him. The fallen trees, the ruined ground.

”You people do that?” Eren looked around, the destruction making his chest ache. ”I accuse my people cruel,” he said quietly. Eren hadn’t come to this particular cliff for three months. He used to sit on the cliff with Jean and laugh at the silly pictures in the children’s book. He used to watch bears trekking next to the river. ”But your people are cruel too,” he muttered, looking at the destruction in front of his eyes. Levi could see the hidden pain, the shock. ”There is no place for peace in world.”

Levi was surprised to hear such words coming from Eren’s mouth. He understood what Eren meant by people being cruel. However, he also understood where his own people were coming from. ”My people can help you,” he defended his kind, ready to face Eren’s ire if necessary. ”I can see that nature is being destroyed, but you can use all of this to build better houses. Make roads. Weapons.”

”Weapons? Weapons do not bring peace,” Eren asked, turning to look at Levi. ”Better houses? Our houses are fine,” he muttered, sitting down and staring at the ships. ”Roads? You take away my friends’ homes. Animals. Spirits,” Eren said with a clear voice. They both fell silent after that and Levi took a seat next to Eren, feeling ashamed by his words. He felt like he could learn a lot just by sitting next to the young native.

”Do you have a name for that river?” Levi asked, looking down towards the river that looked so small from their vantage point. Eren spared a glance at Levi, figuring out now was the best time if any to teach Levi something about them. ”Chickahominy,” Eren answered, watching Levi struggle with the word. It brought a smile to his lips. ”Your people will name it different.”

Levi’s look darkened a little. Kenny had already named their little colony. Kennytown. It was ridiculous and sounded stupid. ”Do you think my people will win?”

”They always do,” Eren muttered, thinking about the stories his father and the elders told him. He watched as another tree was falling in the distance. There was a real, physical ache in his chest. ”What do you call this land?” Levi continued asking, trying to take Eren’s mind elsewhere. ”Tsenacommacah,” Eren smiled and loved the way Levi tested out the word again. ”It means... People live close,” he tried to translate even though he was sure it wasn’t quite right.

”What about Mika? What’s that animal?” Levi asked. He had always been wondering about that. Eren almost cracked a laugh. ”She’s aroughcun,” Eren explained, shrugging his shoulders. ”I don’t know it in your language. You don’t know animal.”

”True,” Levi said, admiring the river and the lakes he could see spreading all over the land. ”Is Jean there?” Eren suddenly asked and pointed at their camp. Levi carefully looked where Eren was pointing at. He aimed Eren’s hand towards a smaller ship. ”He’s there. Resting,” Levi told Eren who seemed to relax a fair amount of proof that Jean was indeed still alive.

”Who was the man with you? With golden hair?”

Levi carefully looked at Eren, noticing the way his eyes were burning with hidden envy. ”He.. He is my soldier,” he said, wondering how to explain it to Eren in simpler terms. ”Like your chief has warriors, I have soldiers,” Levi explained and saw the understanding dawn on Eren’s caramel skin.

”You’re chief?” Eren asked, and Levi found himself blush a little bit at the misunderstanding. He shook his head, wondering why they hadn’t talked about these things before. They had known each other for a bit over a month, after all. ”No,” Levi said and shook his head. ”My uncle is the chief.”

Eren blinked, looking back towards ’Kennytown’. He seemed to be deep in thought. ”Your chief order this?” he asked, gesturing at the fallen trees. Levi didn’t answer anything, knowing that Eren would know the answer to his own question. ”What is your chief name?”

”Kenny Ackerman,” Levi said. ”He is a governor,” he supplied. Eren seemed to get even more confused by the new term. The boy slowly stood up, his eyes still focused on the ruined land before him. ”Governor Kenny,” he muttered with a quiet voice, nodding his head. It was like Eren had made a pact with himself. Eren then gestured towards the rising sun with his chin. ”Sun rises. I must go,” Eren said and turned to look at Levi one last time with a fond smile. ”We will meet again, Levi.”

Levi snorted, not daring to move closer to Eren. ”I would sure hope so,” he said, not liking the way Eren’s eyes shone with unshed tears. ”Lead me back to the stream?”

Eren merely nodded, walking back into the woods with Levi trailing behind him.

 

* * *

 

”I hope you can explain yourself,” Kenny said once Levi returned to the camp three hours later. It seemed like everything had gone to shit while he had been spending time with Eren. ”Why is there a savage using our medical supplies in my fucking boat!?”

Levi hissed at the loud voice. He really needed some sleep. He wasn’t fit to deal with Kenny’s anger at this hour. ”He isn’t a savage,” Levi said in an even voice, nothing betraying his eyes. ”I believe Arlert gave you the report,” he said, brushing past his uncle in a way that probably pushed Kenny’s buttons. Right now, Levi couldn’t give a shit.

”We both know that it’s not physically possible to walk a such a long way if he really came from the eastern tribe,” Kenny said, grabbing Levi’s forearm to stop him. Levi fought the urge to slam Kenny into the ground and punch his ugly face. ”I’ve heard crazier things, Kenny,” Levi sighed with a weary tone. ”Listen, we can use Arlert as an interpreter once that man is feeling better. Whether he is a savage or not, he might have crucial information we can use,” Levi tried to reason with the governor. He was gambling, Levi knew. ”It’s a win-win situation.”

Kenny pondered Levi’s words for a good few seconds before letting the smaller man go. ”You have made your case,” he said, sighing loudly. ”The moment that brat is feeling better, Smith and Arlert will interrogate him and we will wipe out the tribe in the East. Are we clear?”

”Yes, sir,” Levi said, saluting to his uncle. He started walking briskly towards his ship and his cabin, but was stopped once again by no other than Erwin Smith and his calculating blue eyes. ”What do you want, Eyebrows?” Levi groaned, longing for his soft bed and clean sheets. He could think about Eren after a good sleep. He was no use if he was tired.

”Nothing in particular,” Erwin said, giving Levi some space. ”We are moving towards west in three weeks,” he informed Levi, still gauging for a some sort of reaction. Levi hummed quietly, thinking about the direction Eren came from every night. ”I think you told me that three days ago,” Levi said, not really understanding where Erwin was going with this conversation.

”All I’m saying that you should be prepared for whatever is coming. Get some rest, Levi,” Erwin said, clapping Levi’s shoulder. It sent a tremor right through Levi’s body and he looked over his shoulder to see Erwin walking away from him in a calm manner.

Erwin fucking Smith knew.

 

* * *

 

Eren was met with four warriors on his way back home. He should have known. ”Am I late?” Eren asked calmly, as one of the warriors, Kuruk came to stand in front of him with a rope. ”You’re joking,” Eren muttered quietly, but held out his wrists slowly, letting Kuruk tie his wrists together. He felt like a horse in a leash.

”Igasho, you’re too reckless,” Kuruk sighed, pulling Eren along with the rope he had tied around Eren’s wrists. ”I have never seen Gawonii act like this. You need to learn that your actions have consequences,” Kuruk explained. Eren stared at Kuruk’s bare back. He eyed the paint smattering his shoulder blades. The red eagle looked like it was mocking him. The paint was mocking him. Eren knew that on his chest were a set of bear paws. ”I will never recognize you as a chief if you keep playing around.”

Eren bit his lip as they walked the rest of the way in silence. The village was quieter than usual and the people were looking at him with wary looks. It was nothing like the kind smiles and hugs he received on daily basis. It was like his people were afraid of him. ”Gawonii hasn’t tried to execute anyone in the past ten years,” Kuruk said as they neared the center of the village. ”I admit that such drastic measures to get a point across...” he sighed and tied the rope to the pole Jean had occupied just a few hours ago. Eren looked at the blood surrounding the ground and he felt sick. Kuruk came around to tie Eren’s hands behind his back instead of letting him keep his hands in front of him. ”It is wrong. It is not our way. But you understand now, don’t you?”

Eren walked away from the pole, testing the rope and how far he could walk. Two, measly meters. Eren clicked his tongue and tugged at the rope, feeling it burn against his wrists. ”Is this my punishment?” he asked from Kuruk who was already walking away from the pole. ”Kuruk!”

Kuruk turned back, looking at Eren with sad eyes. ”I’m sorry, wolf cub,” he sighed and walked closer to Eren. He ruffled his hair. ”This is your father’s order.”

Eren felt a panic raising and he tugged at the rope a little bit harder. Kuruk started to walk away again, leaving Eren behind. Eren growled, trying to free himself with so much force that his shoulders screamed from pain.

After four hours of yanking at the rope, Eren finally got tired and he sat down on the ground. He was panting from exertion and sweat was dripping down his back. ”Did you finally give up?” a female voice behind him asked with a small smile on her face. Eren turned around to look at the woman who he considered as his friend. He eyed the jug of water she was holding in her hands. ”Is Pahana okay?”

Eren averted his eyes, letting the girl sit next to him with a bright smile on her face. ”I think Pahana will be fine,” she continued talking, offering Eren a drink from the jug. She had to help him since Eren couldn’t really hold the jug with his hands. ”Honovi. My father could have you punished for this,” Eren sighed after he had drank his fill.

Honovi merely rolled her eyes. ”Your father would be starving without my family,” she joked with an amused voice, making Eren laugh a little too. It was true that Honovi’s family was a family of incredibly skilled hunters. ”Speaking of my father,” Eren started and looked around. ”Where is he?”

Honovi took out a small pouch and fed Eren small pieces of dried meat. ”With the elders. They are in the talks of sending a small amount of warriors to make a camp closer to the upstream in a matter of weeks” she explained, watching as Eren paused his chewing for a few seconds. ”You know? Expanding our village. This village is getting small for us,” Honovi continued, sensing Eren’s confusion.

Eren wasn’t confused, however. He was in a state of panic. He needed to tell Levi. The upstream was way too close to Kennytown. The both parties were moving towards the same direction. It wouldn’t end well. The destruction Eren saw had been a wake up call to him. ”Honovi. Tonight, I need you to cut me free.”

”No,” Honovi suddenly said, getting up from the ground so fast Eren didn’t even have time to react. ”I can keep you hydrated and I can keep you fed. I will not have myself eaten by the wolves like Pahana,” she hissed, looking at Eren like he was out of his mind. ”Have you completely lost your mind?!”

”Come on,” Eren whined, starting to tug at his ropes again. The girl was slowly backing away from him. ”Honovi, please!”

”I’m sorry, Igasho,” Honovi said, tears in her eyes as she shook her head. ”I won’t risk it. You’ll be fine, Igasho. Your father won’t hurt you. You’re okay,” she promised, making Eren yell after her. He nearly cursed her with his tongue, but held back for the sake of his people. He was acting like a pre-pubescent teen. Eren needed to calm down first. He inhaled loudly and exhaled just as loudly. Eren sat back down and closed his eyes. Maybe the spirits could give him an answer he sought out?

By the time Eren opened his eyes the next time, the rain was falling down and everything was bathed in darkness. Eren was surprised to notice that for the first time in months, his meditation wasn’t disturbed by small interruptions. Eren was soaking wet. He slowly stood up from the muddy ground, testing the ropes that were still around his wrists. The rope was still bound to the pole. Nothing had changed. Except for the weather.

Eren walked around to stop his legs from falling asleep.

Who knew how long this was going to take?

Especially since his spirit guide was unable to come up with an answer to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyatahesdi - Be careful
> 
> The others are translated in the chapter, I think. Point out if I'm missing any and you need the translation!


	4. Gunshot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ”Walela,” Eren said quietly, not able to look away from the symbol. It was there. ”It is small bird. Brave,” he said, hand hovering over the symbol.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying to finish up the story currently and I thought I'd give you another chapter. Thank you for all kind comments and kudos. I superduper appreciate it. And for that, I attempted some humor and fluff before shit goes down. Hope you guys will enjoy this one.

If there was something that kept Levi’s hopes up, it was Jean who had started to recover thanks to Marco. Armin had taken Jean as his responsibility, asking him questions and teaching him the common tongue. Jean kept asking about Eren. Levi never had any news about the gorgeous native who didn’t return to the upstream.

It had been two weeks. Jean was certain that Eren would return to the upstream. Levi wasn’t as sure as Jean was. Then again, Jean had lived in that particular village for nearly twenty years. ”What do you think they’ve done to him?” Levi asked one day from Armin. Just as Armin was about to answer, Connie interrupted them. ”Done to who?”

”We were just talking about the shit you took two hours ago and I feel like I can still smell it,” Levi said and enjoyed the way Connie got all tied up by the retort. He had grown fond of his younger soldiers. Bertholdt and Reiner were still a mystery to Levi and for some reason, he couldn’t find himself to trust those two. Armin found himself laughing at the joke Levi had cracked.

”Come on guys,” Connie sighed, but knew when to let go. Armin and Levi were a surprisingly tight team. ”That weird dog has been assaulting our food storage again,” Connie reported with a miserable voice. Levi couldn’t help but sigh. He was quite sure that it was Eren’s aroughcun. He rubbed his face. They had all agreed not to kill animals that weren’t potentially dangerous and that small critter really didn’t feel dangerous.

However, it kept ruining their storage. ”Can we capture it?” Armin asked with a small sigh. ”We could try to move it elsewhere.”

”Or just kill it,” Reiner huffed, brandishing a knife in a distance. He walked over after hearing their conversation. ”I’m sure there’s plenty of those fellas in the woods. It’s just a one big rat. Who cares?” Reiner said, making sure that Bertholdt was agreeing with him. ”Really, captain. You’re not the cold-blooded man we thought you’d be. Going a bit soft?”

Levi rose up from the log he had been sitting on and came closer to Reiner. ”If you can’t respect the nature, the nature won’t respect you,” he said in an eerily calm tone. Levi easily grabbed Reiner’s hand and flipped him to the ground with so much ease that Connie found himself clapping in awe. Levi put his boot on Reiner’s chest, making the man under him wince from pain. Bertholdt was moving closer, but one look from Levi rooted the man where he was standing. ”If you can’t respect your command, the command won’t respect you,” he said, kicking Reiner’s ribs. ”I will not tolerate that shit.”

Reiner groaned from pain. ”We’ll see who dies when we finally encounter those savages. With your heart going soft, I can only imagine what kind of future waits for you,” Reiner huffed, standing up with Bertholdt’s help. ”Get your shit together, Levi. We all see it. You’re weak.”

Levi didn’t reply as he watched Reiner limp away with Bertholdt. ”Weak, my ass,” Connie snorted and took a bite of his bread that had gone a bit hard. He munched it slowly. ”Speaking of nature and respect,” Connie said and turned his head towards their little assaulter. Three sets of eyes were staring at the raccoon that had been feasting in their camp for two weeks.

”I think it’s gotten fat,” Levi said as he stared at the familiar critter who kept eyeing Connie’s bread with eager eyes. Armin hummed in thought. ”What do you expect? I don’t think he eats bread and salted meat on regular basis,” he smiled. ”It’s cute though.”

”Which part?” Connie said, scrunching up his nose when the raccoon came closer to him. However the raccoon suddenly stopped, as if just now noticing that there were other people around besides Connie and Connie’s bread. Levi locked eyes with the critter.

The man felt shivers going down his spine as the raccoon looked like it was staring right into his soul. ”Think he wants to bounce you, captain?” Connie asked and quickly finished his bread in fear of losing it to the fat critter. Armin shared a look with Connie. ”Captain?” Armin asked carefully, when Levi made no move to answer. ”Is everything alright?”

Levi seemed to snap out of whatever trance he was in. ”Yeah. I guess I’m just a little bit tired,” Levi admitted, his head aching from looking at the critter. What was that critter’s name again? Mika? Levi wasn’t sure. ”Anyways, it’s getting late. Get some sleep. I promised to check the perimeter,” Levi said, taking his musket and helmet from the log. Erwin had been requesting Levi to do so for the past week. Kenny had been anxious ever since they had brought Jean into their camp.

”Yes, sir,” Connie said and gathered his things as well. ”Good night. And be careful,” Connie saluted, gesturing Armin to follow him. ”You coming?”

”Give me a second,” Armin said, watching as Connie merely shrugged and headed towards one of the smaller ships. He turned to look at Levi. ”We were interrupted earlier,” he said, most likely gesturing towards Levi’s question about Eren. ”Just like Jean has been saying, I think he’s okay. I think they share... Some sort of brotherly connection. Maybe they just sense this kind of stuff. But I believe in him.”

Levi sighed quietly, wanting to believe in the gods or spirits, whatever things Jean believed in. ”I’m going to the upstream again after my rounds. Make up an excuse if someone asks,” Levi ordered quietly, eyeing the raccoon that was getting anxious on the log. ”I feel like... It’s stupid. But that critter-”

Armin couldn’t help but smile a little. ”Could it be your spirit animal?”

”Don’t pull shitty jokes like that,” Levi huffed and gestured towards the ship with his chin. ”Go. I’ll be back later,” he promised, turning towards the raccoon that slowly walked to the edge of the forest. Armin merely laughed and ran after Connie. Levi rolled his eyes, following the raccoon into the woods.

”Hey, shitty dog. I need to check the perimeter first,” Levi said, taking an entirely different route. It seemed like the raccoon understood and followed Levi dutifully. The whole ordeal took up a little less than an hour. By the time Levi was done, heavy clouds were gathering together in the night sky. ”So, Mika, is it?” Levi asked and saw the raccoon still walking with him. ”Do you know something about Eren?”

The raccoon made a small sound and started to run towards west. Levi cursed, running after the critter. It was surprisingly fast for someone who had gained a lot of weight in a short time. Levi noticed how they passed the upstream and his heart started hammering in his chest. ”Wait!” he hissed at the raccoon who dutifully stopped. How the fuck did it know what Levi was asking for?

”I can’t go to their camp,” Levi said quietly, but the raccoon was insisting. It kept biting at Levi’s leather boots. He wanted to groan from frustration. This wasn’t going to end well. ”Fine. But I will skin you alive if I get caught. Understood?”

The raccoon seemed to understand his threat and they were now going a lot slower than before. Levi saw tepees in the distance. To say Levi was scared, would be an understatement. He was terrified. Levi had never entered the native’s villages without a plan and never alone. He felt sweat building up under his white shirt. ”This is a shitty idea, aroughcun,” Levi muttered quietly. They were now in the village, but the raccoon was easily leading him behind every rock, every tepee, every tree. It was as if the raccoon itself wasn’t that welcome in the village.

The village was enormous, Levi realized. Eren was going to be a chief of all this? It sounded ridiculous. But no matter how big this village was, Levi knew that it would be trampled to the ground, just like every other village. Small droplets of water fell on Levi’s cheeks. He thanked whatever gods there were, because it wouldn’t make him as visible to other natives. Levi swallowed thickly when he noticed five big wolves in a pen near the second biggest tepee. The tepee had wolf tracks painted on it and Levi realized it had to be Eren’s tent.

”Why are we not going there?” Levi whispered, feeling stupid as he talked to Mika. The raccoon just walked right past the pen and the tent. Maybe Eren wasn’t there. Levi wasn’t surprised that Mika didn’t answer to him. It was an animal, for Christ’s sake. The sounds of warriors walking past made Levi crouch down into a nearby bush. Mika was leisurely sitting next to him, waiting as well. ”You didn’t take my threat seriously, huh?”

Mika continued trekking to what seemed like the heart of village. He noticed a pole in the middle of everything and someone tied there. The rain was making it hard to see, but it seemed like the figure was sitting down and sleeping. It didn’t take a genius to figure it out. ”Eren,” Levi breathed out and looked at Mika in wonder. The raccoon looked back at him and gave out a miserable whine. Levi reached for his boot and took out a knife. ”Make sure no one sees me, okay?”

Levi carefully tiptoed closer to the pole, his heart threatening to jump out of his chest. The lengths he was going for this young man. He started cutting the bindings around his wrists carefully. ”Levi?” Eren’s hoarse voice asked in wonder. It was like the boy was drunk. ”Finally.”

Levi raised his eyebrows in wonder. Finally? He decided not to comment on it. ”You’re okay,” Levi muttered, helping Eren stand up after the rope fell down from his wrists. ”Can you walk?” Levi asked, loving the way Eren’s eyes burned with determination. He nodded confidently. Eren took the lead, keeping himself low as Levi followed his example. Eren rubbed at his wrists that were irritated from the rope.

Levi’s skin crawled when he noticed Eren choosing the exact same path, the exact same steps as Mika did. To Levi’s surprise, Mika was nowhere to be seen anymore. He would ask about that. It was like the whole raccoon was a ghost. But it couldn’t be, everyone else had seen it too.

Levi noticed Eren snatching a small bowl of paint from one of the many fire pits they passed. He didn’t ask, but did notice Eren missing the paint from his chest. It seemed like an unnecessary risk, but they managed to leave the village without raising any suspicion. Just as Levi was about to breath out a sigh of relief, an arrow whirled right past his ear and he cursed quietly. Eren seemed to be on top of things as he stepped in front of Levi with haste. ”Honovi, leave,” Eren commanded with as much authority as he could muster. Levi had no idea what Eren said, but the warrior seemed to be faltering.

They were exchanging heated, foreign words and Levi wanted nothing more than grasp his musket and shoot the savage that was aiming her bow at Eren since she couldn’t aim at Levi. ”She’s going to tell the village,” Levi warned Eren, who spared a quick glance at him in realization. Their encounter with the female warrior could lead to an all-out war. Eren walked closer to Honovi, speaking in soft tones. The other native slowly lowered her weapon. Levi was clutching his gun so hard he was afraid it might break under the force of his hand.

The woman finally bowed her head to Eren. Levi took that as a sign to get up from the ground and stand beside Eren. The young man still shielded Levi from the foreign warrior who slowly retreated into the camp. ”What did you tell her?” Levi asked quietly as Eren took his hand and started walking briskly further into the forest.

”I tell her truth,” Eren said, leading Levi into the blackness. The rain was hitting them hard now. Levi felt a chill in his bones. ”The truth?” Levi asked, anger seeping into his voice. He forced Eren to stop and pushed him harshly against the nearest tree. The younger man winced from pain, but did not falter. ”You have no idea what you’ve done!”

Eren didn’t fight Levi’s anger, merely stared into his stormy, gray eyes. He could see the blue swirling in them, like an ocean hidden by heavy, gray clouds. Eren gently touched Levi’s cheek. ”I trust Honovi,” he said softly. ”Honovi value life.”

Levi sighed and buried his head into Eren’s shoulder. Everything had been so simple before Eren. When he saw a savage, he would take the shot. Maybe Reiner was right. When the time came, he probably wouldn’t be able to shoot Eren’s family. Eren’s people. Eren. ”Levi?” Eren asked, touching Levi’s wet hair. ”Do you cry?”

Levi felt himself shaking, but not from the cold. He was afraid. He was sad. Levi let out an audible sob and he felt Eren’s arms go around him in a hug. ”Do you hug?” Levi asked, choking out a miserable laugh at Eren’s hug.

Eren raised his eyebrows and only hugged Levi a little bit tighter. ”We do,” Eren said in an amused voice, feeling Levi’s warm tears slid down his shoulder, mixing with cool rain. Levi inhaled Eren’s scent discreetly. The boy smelled like fresh grass and rain. There was a hint of pine mixed in somewhere and Levi found himself calming down little by little. ”Thank you, Levi,” Eren thanked the man while looking towards the sky. The rain was pelting on his face.

”How do you say thank you?” Levi asked quietly, not wanting this moment to end. Eren lifted Levi’s face a little and smiled brightly. ”Kenah, Levi,” he whispered, bumping his forehead against Levi’s. Eren slowly untangled himself from Levi, urging him to follow. ”Honovi tell my people if dangerous. She accept you. For now,” Eren said, not watching if Levi was following him. He could hear him just fine.

”Why did you risk the paint?” Levi asked, gesturing at the small bowl of red paint that Eren was shielding with a piece of leather. Eren turned around with a puzzled look, as if he didn’t understand the question. Levi merely raised his eyebrow, perfectly aware that Eren could understand a simple question like that.

Eren placed a hand on his bare chest. It was such an odd sight without the striking red paint. ”I get real mark when I marry,” he explained. ”This my childhood paint. Waya, my spirit guide. Show me direction, leadership, give me strength,” Eren explained while they walked without destination. At least Levi thought they had no destination. He was surprised to find himself back at the cliff they had been visiting two weeks ago. The rain was slowly easing to a slight drizzle.

”How is Jean?” Eren asked as he casually sat down on the same spot as two weeks earlier. Levi took a seat next to him, on the wet rock. Everything looked different in the darkness. He noticed the lanterns that were lit on their ships. Levi didn’t know how to tell Eren that Jean would be shipped away with a few soldiers and Bertholdt within a month. ”He is healing,” Levi said. ”Remember the story I told you to tell him?”

Eren nodded, waiting for Levi to continue. ”My... My chiefs,” Levi started explaining in a way that Eren would understand. ”Believed the story and want to bring Jean to England. To give him a new life. Jean will leave.”

Eren stared at Levi, his eyes slowly turning towards the ship Levi had pointed to him earlier. He felt something constrict in his throat. ”To... To your home?” Eren asked with a small voice. He turned his head back towards Levi. ”Do you tell him?”

”I haven’t told him yet. Jean is learning the language with Armin. Our doctor, Marco, seems to have become friends with him,” Levi explained, not knowing whether Eren’s smile was a good thing. To Levi, it looked bittersweet. ”No goodbye?” Eren muttered.

”I’m sorry,” Levi whispered, but Eren merely shook his head, telling him that it was alright. Eren took the leather lid away from the paint and carefully started to mix it with his fingers. One of the elders had definitely made it, Eren thought as he smelled it. It was more durable than the one Honovi or Jean made. ”We don’t say goodbye in our language,” Eren suddenly said, pausing what he was doing. ”It is too final.”

Levi looked at the paint Eren was trying to apply to his chest, but kept washing away with water from a small puddle. ”What do you say?” Levi asked, pausing Eren’s hand for a moment. ”And also, can I help you with that?”

”Stiyu,” Eren supplied, offering Levi the bowl of paint. He had never let anyone else but elders and his father draw the markings. Letting someone like Levi do it, felt oddly intimate. Eren was glad that the darkness didn’t betray him. He felt his cheeks tingling with redness. ”It mean be strong. We can also say ’donadagohv’. That mean to see again someday,” Eren’s soft voice said in the darkness. Levi carefully started tracing the extremely faint red lines with his finger.

Levi thought the way Eren’s language worked was beautiful. Goodbyes were hard, but if there were no goodbyes, everything was easier. ”Your language is beautiful,” Levi said quietly, noticing how Eren’s skin got goosebumps from his strokes.

Eren smiled, looking at the pale fingers tracing his chest. ”Jean maybe belong with your people,” Eren said after a long silence. Levi lifted his eyes from Eren’s chest to his eyes. ”Jean mother is like me. She died young. Jean father is like you,” he explained, touching the gun carefully with his fingertips. ”My father said he evil man. Tribe kill Jean father before Jean was born,” Eren sighed quietly.

Levi had of course heard stories, terrible stories of how soldiers used the female population for their own sick pleasures. It seemed like Jean was a result of such heinous action. ”Tribes abandon Jean until us,” Eren explained. ”We care for Jean.”

Levi could disagree about the caring part, but at least he knew that Eren cared about his friend. He finished his job, cleaning his hands in the same puddle Eren had used. If only they had had the river nearby. ”What is in this paint?”

”Berries,” Eren hummed and thought of the correct words. ”Red clay, roots,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. ”Why?”

Levi scrunched up his nose. ”I just thought there might be shit in there or something,” he said and Eren looked extremely confused about one word.

”What is shit?”

Levi opened his mouth and realized that he might have just insulted the entire nation of natives by implying that their paints contained shit. ”It’s...,” Levi said, mentally berating himself for ruining a good moment with a shit joke. ”You know when you... Have to..” Levi muttered, not knowing how to explain the word to Eren without it being extremely awkward. He took some paint in his finger and drew on the cliff’s smooth surface. There was a stick figure who was taking a crap. At least it looked like it was taking a shit to Levi.

”What’s it doing?” Eren asked as he came closer to look at the picture Levi was painting. ”Is that rock falling?”

”No!” Levi groaned and Eren had decency to look amused. ”You know when people... Have to empty stomach?”

Eren burst out laughing so loudly that Levi was sure the heavenly choir was singing from the heavens itself. It was beautiful. Despite situation, the moment was extremely beautiful to Levi. ”I understand,” Eren giggled and took the paint from Levi’s hands. ”Blue paint need shit sometimes. Duck shit.”

”Please stop saying shit,” Levi said with a sigh. It sounded too innocent and wrong from Eren’s mouth. ”Shit is a bad word. You should say excrement or poop instead.”

”Oh,” Eren said and nodded in understanding. ”Take your shirt.”

”What?”

”Take your shirt,” Eren said and gestured his body. ”I want give you mark,” he smiled softly, watching as Levi looked unsure. ”You can cover with shirt. No one see. It wash off too.”

Levi took off his white shirt, hoping it would dry in the wind. The red paint could easily smudge it. Eren scooted closer to Levi, wondering where to place his symbol. He stared at a silver necklace hanging from Levi’s neck, resting against his chest. He decided the symbol would be easiest to wash away from the chest area. Eren admired the pale skin in front of him. He gently touched it with his fingertips, feeling the warmth radiating from it. He slowly flattened his entire palm on the spot where he could feel Levi’s heartbeat.

Steady. Like the river. Eren’s heart was steady too. He closed his eyes, trying to hone his senses to feel everything. Hear everything. Eren heard Levi’s every exhale and inhale. It was like he could hear the beat of his heart. Like a drum in the darkness, guiding Eren back home. He knew what he should paint, but he was afraid to do so. Eren wasn’t sure how long he had been still. Levi gently placed his hand over Eren’s. That seemed to rouse Eren from his thoughts. ”Don’t think too hard,” Levi whispered, bringing Eren’s fingers to the bowl of paint.

It was like electricity. In that moment, everything was right. It was like a reaction. Eren didn’t need to look at what he was painting. He could see it in Levi’s eyes that were an ocean on a stormy night. If Levi thought Eren’s language was beautiful... The man in front of him was even more beautiful, Eren thought. His breath hitched when the symbol was finished on Levi’s chest. Eren never wanted it to wash away. He never thought he would paint that symbol on anyone’s skin. ”What is it?” Levi asked, looking at the red symbol on his chest.

”Walela,” Eren said quietly, not able to look away from the symbol. It was there. ”It is small bird. Brave,” he said, hand hovering over the symbol. He wanted it to dry. He wanted to touch Levi again. Feel the warm skin underneath his fingers. Eren didn’t want to ruin the moment by telling Levi the entire truth of hummingbird. But Levi wasn’t an idiot.

”Your symbol shows you direction and gives strength and sense of leadership,” Levi started, coming closer to Eren. ”What does my symbol represent? Sure, Walela is brave,” he whispered, demanding an answer from the boy in front of him. ”Who am I selling my spirit to?”

”To me?” Eren asked quietly, making Levi back away a little at the sudden answer. It seemed like Eren took Levi’s retreat as a bad sign. To be honest, Levi would have thought of that too. ”It stupid. I’m sorry,” he sighed and reached for the puddle of water. Levi stopped Eren before he could do anything to that mark. ”No, it’s beautiful. What does it mean?” Levi asked, his heart fluttering at Eren’s sudden shyness.

Eren seemed to be considering what to say. ” Gvgeyui,” he said after a long beat of silence. Levi stared into Eren’s eyes, hoping for some sort of clarification. ”Gvgeyui?” Levi asked, not even struggling with the words anymore. ”But what does it mean?” he continued asking, noticing how uncomfortable he was making Eren. Levi didn’t want to relent. He wanted to know.

”I don’t know,” Eren sighed truthfully. He didn’t know Levi’s language from that aspect. Eren touched Levi’s chest, avoiding the drying paint. ”You are dear, but.. a lot?” Eren grimaced at his attempt to explain it to Levi. ”My heart beat same as your,” Eren smiled softly. ”When marry, people feel gvgeyui,” Eren finally managed to explain, hoping that Levi could finally understand what he meant.

Levi felt his cheeks getting heat on them once again. It was ridiculous, really. However, Levi wasn’t foreign to the feeling Eren was trying to decipher for him. He had felt it once before in his life. ”It’s called ’love’, Eren,” Levi exclaimed in his smooth, peaceful voice. Eren was testing the word in his mouth again, smiling to himself all the while repeating it. ”It stupid mark for you?” the question threw Levi for a small loop. Levi was quick to shake his head. ”It’s great,” Levi promised, touching Eren’s cheek gently. ”Do you love Jean too?”

Eren shook his head. ”It different,” he sighed, placing his hand over Levi’s hand. The palm of Levi’s hand was surprisingly warm against Eren’s cheek. ”You.. You are different,” Eren muttered, surprised by the soft look in Levi’s eyes. It wasn’t as hard, as piercing. It was soft around the edges. ”How do your people show... Love?” Levi asked carefully. ”Show me.”

Eren felt his heart choosing a bit more exciting thrum inside of his chest. He was certain, that a small butterfly had lost its way into his heart. It gave Eren courage. He carefully moved Levi’s hand away from his cheek as Eren leaned closer. Eren slowly rubbed his cheek against Levi’s cheek, like a cat would rub against its owner. Levi’s cheek was smooth, nothing like Eren expected. Levi’s smell reminded Eren of the ocean, just like his eyes did. He was freedom to Eren. Eren backed away from Levi, his heart coming down from its butterfly high.

”Not... What I expected,” Levi’s surprised mutter reached Eren’s ears. ”Can I show you how I tell someone I love them?”

Eren nodded, closing his eyes from anticipation and maybe a bit of fear. He could hear Levi laughing softly. Eren jumped a little when he felt Levi’s breath so close to his face. Levi gently cupped Eren’s face between his hands and placed his lips over Eren’s lips. He kissed him softly. Eren seemed not to understand the idea right away. ”You can move your lips too,” Levi whispered against Eren’s lips. This made Eren open his eyes and notice that Levi’s eyes were closed as well. He quickly snapped his eyes shut and tried his best to mimic what Levi was doing.

Levi had to admit it wasn’t the best kiss he had shared, but it definitely was the most meaningful. Eren just needed a bit of practice. Levi added the tiniest amount of heat into the kiss and he felt Eren’s hands grasping his waist. Maybe it was an instinct. They parted after a few more seconds, small track of saliva still connecting them. ”I like your way,” Eren said quietly, surprising even himself with those words.

Levi laughed again, placing a butterfly kiss on Eren’s cheek. ”This is called kissing,” he whispered against Eren’s ear. ”You can kiss anywhere you want.”

”A-anywhere?” Eren asked, touching Levi’s ear with his fingers. Levi merely hummed and placed a kiss over Eren’s ear. ”Anywhere,” Levi confirmed, finally pulling away from Eren. They both stared at each other with dopey grins painted on their faces. Eren was the first to giggle. Levi followed with a small laugh once again. ”I think I love you,” Eren blurted out and Levi merely smiled.

”I think I might love you too.”

 

* * *

 

”Eren is safe and sound,” Levi said the next day in Marco’s little office where Jean was making a swift recovery. Armin was sitting next to the native with Marco in tow. Jean was eyeing Levi with critical eyes. Levi tried not to look towards Jean too much. It felt like those amber eyes were piercing his whole soul. ”He told me of a cavern that is situated near the waterfall,” Levi muttered, looking at Armin. ”He made it seem like he is the only one knows about it.”

Armin turned to look at Jean, translating the parts that he didn’t yet understand. Jean sighed deeply, shaking his head. ”Gawonii know. Kuruk know. Honovi know. I know,” Jean said, making sure that Levi understood what he implied. ”Search.”

”Is it possible that they’re talking about different caves?” Marco asked, invested into this whole story about the mysterious little native. He got up from his chair to look out of the window. Marco frowned when he didn’t see Governor at the shore, but didn’t think too much of it.

Jean denied Marco’s assumption. He knew the forest just as well Eren did. Eren would have never hidden anything from him. Jean’s eyes flicked back towards Levi. Except for that mysterious man. ”But in any case,” Levi sighed quietly, grabbing his musket and helmet from the corner of the room. ”I promised to bring him something to eat,” Levi said, taking the small bag from Marco’s table he had brought in advance. ”I’m going to go there. Directions?”

Jean pursed his lips, looking at the gun he was carrying with a slight distress. He turned to look at Armin. They both spoke in soft tones. Levi wasn’t sure what the topic was, but he had a good guess. Jean didn’t trust him. ”Walk towards the waterfall and wait,” Armin said to Levi, not really understanding himself. Levi blinked as well. ”Jean says that... Someone will come.”

Levi exhaled loudly. ”Fine. Fine,” he muttered and left the office with a sour face. Levi almost ran into Reiner, Bertholdt and Connie. ”Jesus. Don’t you have better things to do than loiter in the hallway?” Levi asked, brushing past his soldiers. ”Check the perimeter. I’m going to see if there’s any savages in our traps,” he said, intending to do what he had said. The trio saluted, scrambling away from him with haste.

Levi watched after them with unease. Something wasn’t right. Levi stepped into the bright sunlight, enjoying the way sun lit up the forest. It was almost odd to go see Eren in the daylight. Eren had promised to return to his camp after his father learned his lesson. Levi had a feeling that Gawonii wasn’t going to relent so easily. The man waved at Erwin, who merely waved back at him. Levi hurried his steps, checking the traps he had made with Connie. They were all untouched - no surprises there.

The raven-haired man walked the same path he had walked every single day. It had become a relaxing trek to the upstream. It was quite some ways away from his camp, but it made the trip so much more delightful. The steady hum of waterfall was welcome and Levi felt his limbs prickling with something. He wasn’t sure what it was. Levi stopped in front of the waterfall. He looked around in wonder. There were small rocks in the water he could step on. Just as Levi was about to set his foot on one of the rocks, he saw a familiar animal hopping on the other side of the waterfall. Levi watched as Mika jumped from rock to rock, closer to the waterfall, disappearing from the sight way too soon. ”Shit. That was my cue, wasn’t it?” Levi clicked his tongue and started jumping from rock to rock.

To his utter surprise, Mika hadn’t disappeared anywhere. She was merely waiting for him in a small nook behind the falling water. After Levi had caught up with the raccoon, she merely continued hopping from rock to rock. Levi cursed silently behind her, not surprised that Jean couldn’t properly explain the route to him. Soon, he was obscured by the waterfall. It was like magic - a cavern right behind the waterfall. It had been right there, the whole time. ”Levi?”

Levi turned his head towards the boy who had pushed away the dark clouds from his mind. ”How do you do that?” Levi asked, nodding towards the raccoon which started pawing at Levi’s bag. ”Manners, Mika,” he chastised, lifting the bag away from the sneaky critter. It didn’t seem to help since Mika merely hopped onto his shoulder, trying to get to the bag.

Eren tilted his head to the side curiously. ”You would not believe,” he laughed, tiptoeing to stand in front of Levi. Eren boldly placed a chaste kiss on Levi’s lips. It was so quick Levi didn’t even have time to properly process what was happening. ”Nature speak to me. My spirit can speak to nature. My spirit speak best to waya,” Eren said, touching his chest with his eyes closed.

”Waya is your spirit animal, right?” Levi confirmed, giving the bag to Eren who gladly accepted it. He watched as the boy carefully took out a loaf of bread and salted meat. Levi gave his knife to Eren, who easily took a small chunk from the bread. He threw it to Mika who ran after it eagerly. ”Yes,” Eren answered, sharing a small look with Levi. ”I think aroughcun is your,” he said like it wasn’t a big deal. ”You respond good to it.”

Levi raised his eyebrows from pure confusion. ”What do you mean?”

Eren cleared his throat. ”I try get your attention two weeks,” he said in a sheepish voice. ”I try deer, but you ignore. I try eagle, but you ignore. I even try salmon, but you ignore,” Eren sighed, rubbing a small itch away from his nose. ”Aroughcun, you notice. You connect.”

”I don’t like aroughcun,” Levi retorted and Eren laughed from the bottom of his stomach. The native munched a small piece of bread, watching as Levi seemed to sour from the thought of his spirit animal. ”You can learn from it,” Eren said. ”It has something to teach. Spirit animal can change.”

”Has your changed?” Levi asked from Eren, who nodded eagerly. It seemed like Eren loved talking about these sorts of things - maybe he liked teaching. Eren pulled Levi towards the cavern wall that was full of different paintings. ”Jean and I do painting here. This my first animal,” Eren said, pointing to a crude shape of an animal that Levi had trouble recognizing. ”Tsiyu,” Eren said slowly, not wanting Levi to mix it with ’Stiyu’. ”They swim in rivers. It mean playful and laugh. It suit child well. I saw tsiyu in dreams.”

Levi hummed quietly, touching the paintings with his finger tips. His fingers grazed the giant symbol in a far corner. ”That Jean,” Eren said softly, touching the symbol as well. ”He always yonu. Strong. Guardian of the West,” Eren smiled, fond of the memories of his friend. ”I miss him.”

Levi recognized the symbol quite easily. It was a large bear, so much larger than the ’tsiyu’, whatever it was. He could see the bear in Jean, funnily enough. ”I’m sure he misses you too. He told me how to get here,” Levi said, getting a surprised look from Eren. ”Jean bad at directions.”

Levi tried to held in a laugh. ”He told me to wait outside,” Levi said, making Eren laugh again. The laughter died quickly and Levi took note of Eren’s pale face. ”Eren?”

Eren inhaled deeply, looking at Levi in alarm. ”Dangerous,” he said quickly, making his way to the waterfall. Levi hurried after him, clutching his musket with steady arms. Eren carefully peeked from the small nook, noticing his father with twenty other warriors. ”Stay here,” Eren whispered to Levi, stepping into the light. Levi tried to stop Eren, but the native was already showing himself to his people.

”Father,” Eren said calmly, looking into Gawonii’s eyes from the distance. ”I refuse to be tied down by force,” he said, not liking the way the warriors kept looking towards the waterfall. He knew that Honovi wouldn’t have told Gawonii unless she was forced to tell. The thought sent Eren’s mind into a frenzy. What if they had hurt his friend? Another friend. Eren grit his teeth together.

”Will you stop acting like a child in that case?” Gawonii asked just as calmly, motioning towards his warriors. ”The elders are worried about your rebellious phase. They are afraid that you’re straying from the path. I presented you with Pahana, the smoothest course. However, you refused my gift to you. Instead, you have abused your power as a chief’s son and endangered your tribe by trying to communicate with white settlers.”

Eren thought of his words carefully, knowing that Levi probably wouldn’t hesitate to shoot if he saw that Eren was in danger. ”What settlers?” he asked with an even voice, trying not to show his underlying panic.

”The settlers Kuruk found at the first light. The settlers who killed a messenger from another tribe.”

Eren’s blood went ice and his eyes flicked to Kuruk, who smiled sadly at him. Kuruk had understood his need for knowledge and freedom, but his duty to Gawonii had always won. Eren understood him well. He was bound by duty too. ”The footsteps in our camp wasn’t from our shoes, Igasho. We are not stupid,” Gawonii sighed. ”Son. Come home. We are a peaceful nation. I believe we can settle all of this without needing to shed any blood. We can migrate towards inland.”

Eren, carefully eyed towards the waterfall and sighed. Perhaps, if Levi saw him leaving willingly-

A gunshot rippled through the forest and Eren’s first reaction was to look towards his hiding place. However, the gunshot didn’t come from there. It came from somewhere else. ”Igasho!” his father yelled, but Eren didn’t understand at first why. Eren’s hand slowly traveled to his ribs, where he felt something warm drip to his fingers. The burning sensation came right after. His hands were shaking. Eren’s legs faltered and he saw the surface of the river closing in. The splash, however, never came. ”Eren.”

Levi had managed to get to Eren in a record time. What he should have expected was to be immediately targeted by Eren’s people. Levi, however, did not care. ”Eren,” he repeated, looking at the bullet wound. The bullet was buried deep into Eren’s waist. ”Fuck, fuck, fuck,” he cursed, hearing another gunshot. ”Stand the fuck down!” Levi yelled, but it was too late. One of the warriors next to Gawonii fell like a tree. It was sudden. Levi craned his head upwards. There he saw them: Reiner. Bertholdt. Connie. He should’ve guessed. An arrow stuck itself into Levi’s thigh and he groaned from pain. Levi still held onto Eren, watching as the boy panted from pain.

”Captain Levi!” Connie yelled from the top of the waterfall, lining up another shot at the natives. ”We’re cleaning up the shore. Finish up that sav-”

Another arrow flew in the direction of the waterfall, this time hitting Connie into his arm. His musket fell into the water and Levi heard the young boy scream from pain. Levi could quite literally feel Connie’s pain. He spared a glance at his thigh, exhaling from relief. The arrowhead had went right through. ”Connie! Retreat! You guys are outnumbered!” Levi yelled, meaning what he said. He reached for his own musket, ready to take the shot at Eren’s people. ”Leave. Now!”

Reiner glanced where Levi was bleeding into the river with another savage. He was proud of his shot. It could have been better, but Reiner was proud. He glanced at Bertholdt, who tried to help Connie with the arrow, but it was stuck into his bicep. ”Reiner. We should go get reinforcements. We can follow the blood later. I think they will take the captain alive,” Bertholdt said, gesturing towards the river. ”Levi is right. We can’t stay.”

Reiner sighed, keeping his head down. ”Fine. Let’s report to Erwin and get Connie to Marco. You’re right,” Reiner psyched himself, slowly retreating towards the woods, making sure that Connie was still with them.

Levi breathed out a sigh of relief as the shooting stopped. He assumed that his soldiers had listened to him and decided to retreat back to the camp. Levi slowly lowered his gun and raised his hands up to show that he was surrendering. Eren was leaning against his chest securely. The chief yelled something to Levi, but he couldn’t understand. His heart was hammering against his chest once again. He should’ve asked Eren to teach him more.

However, Eren’s father walked closer, motioning Levi to come closer. Levi hesitated, pulling Eren closer to himself. Gawonii merely raised his hands in a soothing manner. Levi tried to calm down by looking at Eren’s pained expression. Gawonii had stepped into the water, and carefully walking towards Levi. Eren fought to stay conscious and he touched Levi’s chest with the palm of his hand. ”You with nature,” Eren whispered. ”They accept. Let it in. Breathe. Calm.”

Levi’s eyes darted back to Eren who seemed to be slipping. ”Stay awake, Eren. Please,” he pleaded, cupping Eren’s face with gentle hands. His face was smeared with blood and the only thing Levi could think how this had been his fault. His soldiers had heard them talk. Levi cursed, holding back tears. The chief was right next to them, half of his body under the water. Levi was surprised that the water was that shallow. ”I don’t know what you mean,” Levi whispered to only Eren’s ears.

Gawonii touched Levi’s shoulder, holding out his hands for Eren. Levi looked into Gawonii’s eyes that were filled with sadness - maybe understanding too. Levi let out a small sob, depositing Eren gently to Gawonii’s arms. The chief motioned Levi to follow and for some reason, Levi felt himself obey the leader in front of him. He also knew that he wouldn’t be able to run with an arrow stuck to his thigh. They both arrived to the shore at the same time. The warriors immediately surrounded Levi and tied his wrists together with a rope. Levi calmly let them do what they wanted, keeping his eyes on Eren the entire time. ”Stiyu, Eren,” Levi muttered quietly, but apparently one of the warriors heard him. His eyes buried into Levi’s skull and Levi decided to stare right back at him.

Gawonii turned his eyes towards Levi with a slight distaste. He talked to his warriors and they all started to walk towards the village in a brisk pace. Levi was dragged behind them, his thigh screaming from pain. He knew that Gawonii wouldn’t be able to help Eren. Eren needed Marco. He needed a doctor who knew how to treat gun wounds. Levi hung his head. There was nothing he could do for now.

 

* * *

 

Levi didn’t know how long he had been asleep when he finally woke up. He was drowsy and in pain. He was thirsty. Levi was tied against a pole situated near Eren’s tepee and the wolf pen. He groaned and looked at his thigh with tired eyes. To his surprise, the arrow was gone and his wound had been wrapped neatly with some kind of bandages and large leaves. Levi coughed softly, trying to peer into Eren’s tent. It had faint light glowing from the inside.

Eren’s voice traveled to his ears, but he knew he was only imagining it. They were the words Eren had said to him. His last words. Levi grit his teeth together. He didn’t even know if Eren was alive anymore. But the words haunted him. Let it in? To let what it? Levi closed his eyes and tried to relax. Who accepted him? Nature? He inhaled slowly, trying to mimic Eren who always seemed so in touch with everything around him.

No one had ever taught him this shit. If he had done this in England, someone would have deemed him mentally unstable and ill. Levi tried to rid himself of such thoughts. ”Concentrate,” he whispered to himself, trying to understand what Eren had meant. Levi tried to concentrate on the small noises the wolves made. Sniffs. Growls. Tiny whines. He could heart the wind rustling the trees. Just as he had an understanding what Eren had tried to tell him, someone grabbed his hair roughly, forcing him to open his eyes and stare into the eyes of his assaulter.

It was the girl from the other day. The girl who had aimed an arrow at him and Eren. She looked absolutely furious. Honovi was her name, Levi remembered. ”He said it would be okay!” Honovi yelled at him and at first Levi didn’t realize it. But the look on his face stopped Honovi’s yelling. ”Do you speak English?” Levi asked, shocked by his sudden realization. His heart skipped a beat. ”Did you just speak English?”

Honovi let go of Levi’s hair like her skin was burnt from the touch. ”I don’t know what English is,” she answered, taking steps backwards. Levi knew that the girl in front of him could be someone he could persuade to help him. Well, maybe. She looked like she was a bit of a scaredy cat despite her tough outside demeanor. ”Wait. I can’t even hurt you like this,” Levi pointed out, gesturing at his hands that were tied behind the pole. ”Is Eren okay?”

”You call him Eren?” Honovi asked and seemed to falter at Levi’s question about Eren. Her eyes softened and she shook her head. ”The Shaman says that he is dying. Slowly,” Honovi said quietly, sitting on her knees, safe distance from Levi. ”We don’t... We don’t know how to help him.”

Levi’s breath quickened. ”Can I see him? Please,” Levi pleaded, straining against his binds. ”Let me talk to Eren’s father. I know someone who can help him. I promise, Eren can be saved. You-”

”It’s your fault,” Honovi said quietly, rumpling her skirt into her fists. She stared right at Levi. ”Why did he do that? Why did he go out every single night for you? Why?” Honovi asked, not understanding what was so different about Levi. ”Why can you speak our language fluently? Why can I understand you? There are so many questions, settler. Can we trust you? Why did your people shoot? We weren’t a threat.”

”I know,” Levi said quickly. ”They acted on their own. I had not given them a permission to shoot,” he tried to explain to Honovi, who seemed to distrust him the more they talked. Levi sighed deeply. ”Look, you are Eren’s friend. Let me talk to your chief.”

”They’re not here,” Honovi finally said, looking around. Levi also looked around the same way, noticing that the village was eerily quiet. ”How long have I been sleeping?”

”Two days,” Honovi whispered quietly, noticing how much paler Levi’s face turned. ”You are winning, don’t worry,” Honovi scoffed loudly, wanting to kick the white settler in front of her. She shook her head. ”Why did Eren keep meeting you?”

”Because we fell in love.”

Honovi blushed a little at Levi’s words. Levi could see the corner of her mouth quirking up the tiniest amount. He could use that information to his advantage. Levi glanced at his chest. ”Eren painted a symbol on me. It’s still there,” he said quietly, watching as Honovi walked closer bravely. She reached for Levi’s shirt and lifted it in wonder. Her mouth fell open with shock and wonder. ”Hummingbird,” Honovi whispered, almost reaching for the symbol, but stopped herself in time. ”He really is smitten.”

Levi swallowed. Hummingbird? He had no idea what that bird was, but he knew he should ask later from Armin.

Shit. Armin. Marco. All of his soldiers were at the shore, fighting for their lives and here was Levi, tied against the wooden pole. ”Let me help Eren,” Levi finally said, looking into Honovi’s eyes. ”You’re... You’re a warrior, aren’t you?” Levi asked, knowing that the girl could easily slip by their defenses and fetch Marco. Honovi seemed to hesitate, but started nodding. Levi exhaled from pure relief. He had won Honovi’s trust for now. ”Take my necklace,” Levi said, watching as Honovi gently took the silver locket hanging from Levi’s neck. ”Go to the battlefield and find our doctor, Marco. Marco is a man who looks like a lot like your kind,” Levi pointed out for her. ”He has freckles on his cheeks and he might be with... Pahana?” he muttered quietly, wondering if that was Jean’s true name.

Honovi listened intently, eyes widening at Pahana’s name. She nodded. ”What do I say to him? He probably won’t understand me at all,” she said and Levi internally cursed. He thought the necklace might be enough clue for Marco, but it might send the wrong message. If Honovi was lucky, Armin could still be alive. ”There’s another person who might be able to help. Blue eyes, blonde, long hair. Short. His name is Armin. If you find either one of them, show them the locket. Hopefully it.. I don’t know. It’s our only chance.”

Honovi put the locket around her neck and crouched down to Levi’s eye level. ”I will come back with help. I’m no warrior though. Stay strong, settler. For Eren.”

”My name is Levi.”

”See you later, Levi.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kenah: Thank you  
> Waya: Wolf  
> Stiyu: Be Strong  
> Donadagohv: Until we meet again  
> Walela: Hummingbird  
> Gvgeyui: Love  
> Tsiyu: Otter  
> Yonu: Bear


	5. Bloodshed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren spit out blood. The pain was nothing compared to the one his land was currently suffering by these hands. ”Governor?” Eren tested out the word in his mouth. His mind went back to the conversation he and Levi had had. It felt so long ago. ”Everything is your doing. Your war. Your guns. Your destruction.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got this chapter out sooner than expected. A lot sooner. I'm currently writing the final showdown and after that, I don't know what will happen to our cast of natives and settlers yet. It's a work in progress. Ok? Heh.
> 
> Anyways, I got some warnings for this chapter:  
> GRAPHIC DESCRIPTIONS OF VIOLENCE.

_Two days ago_

”The savages ambushed us! The savages took the captain as a hostage!”

Erwin jumped up when he saw Reiner bursting into his cabin with Connie and Bertholdt. He took note of Connie’s arm that had an arrow sticking out from each side. ”Calm down. Tell me what happened,” Erwin said calmly, closing the door behind them with a soft thud. ”Did the natives follow you here?” he asked the most important questions first. The rest could wait.

”No,” Reiner said, trying to keep himself calm. His face was twisted with pure rage and Erwin wasn’t sure where the anger was coming from. Reiner was a seasoned soldier and he could usually keep a cool head under the direst of situations. ”I don’t know what was happening, but they were more concerned about the young savage I shot. After that, they started firing arrows at us,” Reiner explained.

Erwin hummed quietly, leaning against his desk. ”You shot a savage? How many?” Erwin asked, thinking about the first words Reiner had said when he burst into the room. He turned his eyes towards Connie who looked extremely uncomfortable. ”Are you okay, Connie?”

Connie nodded, trying to avoid Erwin’s sharp gaze. His arm was stinging something fierce, but he wasn’t going to cry like a baby and run straight to Marco. The young man, Jean, might have started laughing. ”I see,” Erwin muttered, turning his eyes back to Reiner and Bertholdt who explained the amount of warriors they had seen with brief descriptions. ”With my battle experience I’d say that the story went a bit... Differently,” Erwin sighed, starting to gather his gear. ”You’re saying they took Levi? Did he go willingly or was he dragged against his will?”

”We... We don’t know if they took him,” Bertholdt said carefully. ”The last time we saw him, he was telling us to retreat since we were outnumbered - which was true. We obeyed his order. But, commander Erwin, he was cradling the young savage like we had done something wrong.”

Erwin merely nodded calmly. ”Thank you for the report,” Erwin thanked his soldiers. ”Connie, I need you to get that arm fixed. I will gather our men and we will save Levi from the village, assuming that he is indeed still alive. It would make the most sense. The natives are posing a threat now that you’ve revealed us. I will go and inform Governor Ackerman of what has occurred. Secure the beach.”

Three men hurried out of the cabin toward their duties. Erwin sighed loudly the moment he was alone. He knew Levi had found something interesting from the forest. Erwin had had a hunch about a nearby tribe and he had known that Levi was keeping things a secret. Erwin also knew that Levi was a reasonable man and he would never put his men in a risk. Erwin’s guess was that the nation not too far in the west was peaceful and had no intentions of attacking them on their own.

The situation, however, had changed against them. Three, overly enthusiastic soldiers, had decided to take the matters into their own hands and most likely shot the native that Levi had been trying to hide from the rest of the world. What made him so special, Erwin Smith had no clue and he would have wanted to meet the boy who had flipped Levi Ackerman’s life upside down.

Erwin left the cabin with sure steps, entering Kenny’s cabin with a swift knock. ”Excuse me, governor, but we have a situation at hand,” he said with a voice that asked for respect. He saw Kenny tilting up his hat that was covering half of his face. Kenny eyed Erwin critically. ”Got something to do with Levi disappearing at ungodly hours?” Kenny asked with a slightly irritated voice. He straightened himself in his chair.

”Captain Levi has been on top of his duty, I assure you,” Erwin smoothly lied and carried on with his report. ”Our soldiers have discovered a tribe that had acted hostile against them. Connie Springer was hurt during their confrontation. Levi Ackerman was, most likely, taken as a hostage. Reiner Braun and Connie Springer managed to kill two savages out of twenty. One of the twenty savages had looked like a person of high status - maybe the chief. They did not kill the chief, unfortunately.”

Kenny bit into his wooden toothpick and smirked. ”Finally,” he said, getting up from the chair. ”Now, what are we waiting for, Commander?” he said, starting to gear up as well. ”Gather our men. We have savages to slaughter!”

 

* * *

 

Jean stared at the arrow sticking out of Connie’s arm. His heart was beating wildly. He recognized the arrow. It was Kuruk’s arrow. Jean licked at his lips. He wanted to ask the man. He needed to know what they had done to make someone shoot at them without a second thought - someone like Kuruk. ”Connie, name?” Jean asked, startling Marco who had started to treat the arrow wound with expertise. Connie turned his head towards Jean. ”Yeah, it’s my name,” Connie answered, hissing when Marco started to probe at his wound. ”What?”

Jean pointed at Connie’s gun with worried eyes. ”Use? Who?”

Connie rolled his eyes. ”How should I know who I shot? I don’t even give a sh- OW,” Connie whined when Marco used a bit too much force to yank the arrow out. He watched as the blood started pouring out. Like the streaming water at the waterfall. Connie pursed his lips, thinking how Levi had yelled the savage’s name. ”Eren.”

Jean got up from the bed, fast as lightning. ”Hey!” Marco yelled at the sand-haired boy who nearly tripped over his own long feet. ” **Sit. Down!** ” Marco ordered, facing Jean with furious brown eyes. That seemed to be Armin’s cue to step inside Marco’s office in a hurry. ”Who did you shoot!?” Armin yelled at Connie, who groaned from frustration.

”Why does everyone keep asking that!?” Connie yelled back. Marco tried to calm everyone down. He tried to keep staunching Connie’s wound that was bleeding a storm and keep Jean seated at the same time. ”I just said that it might have been someone called Eren. I don’t fucking know! The whole situation got out of hand so quickly. We weren’t supposed to shoot. But Reiner said it was what the governor had ordered and he took the chance when he saw it.”

”Fucking calm down! All of you! Armin, help me keep Jean still while I take care of Connie’s wound. After that, we can discuss about this whole-”

Gunshots. Multiple gunshots. ”Situation...” Marco finished, sharing an alarmed look with Armin. ”Why are you here?”

”I was told to stay here and help you with the casualties. Connie is ordered to stay back as well,” Armin said, trying to keep his voice calm. He noticed Jean sitting on the bed, trying to calm himself down with soft breathing exercises. Everything seemed to be under control for now. Armin started to explain the situation to Marco, who shot accusing eyes towards Connie. ”I hope that whatever decision you three made at that waterfall was worth all the bloodshed you’re going to be witnessing,” Marco huffed in a sarcastic voice, tying Connie’s arm with more force than strictly necessary.

”What the hell is your problem?” Connie moaned and earned a small pinch from Marco. He stared into Marco’s sad, brown eyes. ” **My** problem is that I will have to decide who lives and who dies. **My** problem is that currently, hundreds of lives will be wasted because of one single bullet. **One** bullet, Connie. That one bullet ruined the lives of your friends who are out there fighting. It ruined the lives of innocent natives who value this land and thrive to keep it beautiful and alive. That is **my** problem.”

Jean kept his eyes closed, trying to focus on Eren’s spirit signature. However, the turmoil and pain between them was too much. He couldn’t reach the boy he was longing for. His friend. The nature around them was in a state of panic. ”I can’t feel Eren,” Jean mumbled in his own language to Armin, who immediately perked up at his words. The smaller boy tried to contain his glee at the mention of some sort of spiritual connection.

Connie kept his head down, now realizing the destruction Reiner, Bertholdt and he had managed to bring to this land. The bloodshed. His mind went to the young savage who had looked so surprised, so scared. ”He was around our age,” Connie whispered carefully, gaining everyone’s attention. Jean couldn’t understand much, but he paid attention nonetheless. ”He looked like he was... I don’t know. Hiding Levi from the others.”

Armin bit his lower lip, knowing that Connie’s observations were completely true. Eren had most likely protected Levi from his own people. The most innocent participant in this whole ordeal was most likely dead or dying. ”Did he die immediately?” Marco asked, in a gentler tone this time.

”No... I... I think Reiner shot him in the ribs or waist, I’m not sure. But I know it wasn’t anywhere vital,” Connie admitted, not feeling much better. ”Levi got hit by an arrow as well and we kept returning the fire. For a second it looked like Levi was going to shoot too, but.. I don’t think he ever did. He kept the boy from falling into the river. It was an odd situation.”

”Gvgeyui,” Jean whispered, making every head turn towards him. He bristled a little, squaring his shoulders. Connie’s look was apprehensive. Jean couldn’t blame him. He turned his eyes towards Armin, whispering to him in his own tongue. ”Wait,” Armin sighed, asking Jean to repeat more slowly. Armin turned his head towards Connie, feeling unsure. ”Eren... The boy Reiner shot. Was in love with our captain.”

”WHAT!?”

 

* * *

 

_One day ago_

”I think we should try to negotiate. The situation is getting wildly out of control.”

Kenny stared into Erwin’s piercing blue eyes. They were both covered in their enemies’ blood. Kenny crouched down to face a savage he had shot down not too long ago. The man was still alive and Kenny smirked at the man who was slowly dying in front of him. ”Negotiate?” he huffed, pushing his finger into the wound he had made with his trusty musket. The man screamed from pain. ”Have you ever heard of negotiations between savages and humans?” Kenny asked, twisting his finger with practiced ease. He scratched at the wound, making the savage say something Kenny didn’t quite catch. Maybe he was pleading, Kenny didn’t care.

”Governor, I really think-”

”Shut up, Erwin,” Kenny sighed, taking out his knife while keeping an eye contact with the commander. ”We are winning, aren’t we? We’ve wiped out over two hundred savages in a day or two,” Kenny explained, slowly lowering the knife against the savage’s scalp. ”Imagine what we can do in four days.”

Erwin stopped Kenny from taking the scalp of a living man by thrusting his knife through the native’s eye socket quickly and swiftly. He thought of it as mercy. Kenny and Erwin were still having a staring competition. ”We’ve lost fifty-two capable man to this mindless bloodshed,” Erwin explained calmly. ”The rest of them are tired or injured. We can’t keep this up. We are outnumbered. No matter how good our technology is, we can’t beat the numbers and they know it. By the time your army arrives, it will be too late. We can’t hold out for two months. We haven’t been able to advance to their camp, governor. Your nephew is still there and I think we should try to get our most valuable soldier back alive, don’t you think?”

Kenny scratched his stubble, making sure to get some dried blood out while he was doing it. He went back to scalping the young savage in front of him and adding the scalp into his bag. Erwin didn’t look away. He was disgusted by Kenny’s need of collecting the scalps - he was disgusted by the mere thought of cutting someone’s scalp away. Armin had once said: ’To lose that scalp to an enemy is to lose control over one's life, to become socially and spiritually `dead', whether biological death resulted or not’. Kenny finally straightened himself and cleaned his bloody hands into even bloodier rag. ”I suppose,” Kenny said quietly, wiping his knife clean as well. ”I might have an idea.”

”I’m all ears,” Erwin said, lighting up his matchlock and aiming it towards a savage that was running right at them with a terrifying yell. The gun went off surprisingly quickly with Erwin’s short matchlock. ”We capture the chief, kill him and let the savages retreat towards inland for... Let’s say, eighty-five slaves? Or I assume that savages do reproduce, he might have children or a wife. We can bargain.”

Erwin knew that Kenny Ackerman was being extremely unreasonable. He also knew that Kenny Ackerman could not be swayed. ”We need Arlert for that part and I hope for everyone’s sake that the kid is still alive somewhere in this battlefield.”

 

* * *

 

_Present_

”I’m sorry,” Marco whispered, motioning Connie and Armin to keep one of their many soldiers still as he took out his bone saw. The man, who was already afraid of dying, started screaming from fear as Marcus came closer with the saw. The soldier’s left leg was beyond repair. He had fallen from a cliff while fighting four natives. To his luck (or lack of), he had survived the fall.

”Don’t you think...?” Connie started to ask, but Marco was already digging the saw into the open fracture, making quick work of disposing the leg that had started to turn into an alarming shade of black. He shut his mouth quickly and looking into the other way. The soldier screamed under their strong arms, but ceased after a few seconds. ”He lost consciousness,” Armin said softly, easing his hold a little.

”Good,” Marco said, sawing the rest of the way just as swiftly. After he was done, he simply dressed the leg with a mixture of egg yolk, oil of roses and turpentine. Connie’s puzzled look was enough to keep Marco’s mind off about the amount of men he had been losing every day. ”It’s... It’s a new way of staunching blood,” Marco explained softly, gesturing at Connie’s wound. ”I didn’t burn that wound either, did I?”

”No, you did not,” Connie muttered softly, looking at his arm. Armin tried to force a smile on his face. ”It’s a good thing we have Marco here with us,” he said, trying to keep the spirit up. ”Who knows what would have happened if we had someone like... Daz.”

”Daz isn’t here because he can’t handle stressful situations,” Marco simply said and dressed more wounds as he went. He wasn’t surprised to see Jean helping the soldiers and natives alike. Somewhere behind those curious, sad amber eyes was a kind soul that hated to see humans hurt - his people or not. ”Jean,” he called, crouching down right next to him. ”Let me help,” Marco said softly, explaining to Jean what he was doing to the soldier and what all his instruments were. Connie and Armin walked behind Marco, keeping their guns close. Marco had assigned few soldiers with minor medical training to stay at the beach while he went out in the field to treat those who could not be moved around.

Connie was the first to lift his gun when he saw movement in his peripheral vision. A native lifted her bow in retaliation. ”Armin,” Connie said quickly, making every single head turn towards the girl with a huge bow. It was a lot bigger than the ones they had seen on male warriors. ”She’s not a warrior,” Armin said quickly, looking at her bow in wonder. To his left, Jean was standing up with recognition in his eyes.

The girl slowly looked at Jean, then aiming her bow at Marco, who had stopped treating his soldier in favor of looking less like a threat. ”Do you know this woman?” Armin asked slowly in English, noticing how Jean started bopping his head up and down. ”Dangerous?”

”No,” Jean answered, walking closer to the girl. ”Honovi,” he said and the girl jumped at his neck from pure fear and grief. They both hugged for a few seconds until Honovi started speaking quickly in her own language. Armin lost everything she was talking about in less than ten seconds. He sighed quietly, suggesting Connie to lower his gun since the girl seemed to be friendly with Jean. ”We’re okay,” Armin said.

Marco stared at the girl and noticed a flash of silver around her neck. He focused on the locket, standing up so quickly that the girl jumped up and nearly stabbed Marco with the arrow still in her hand. Jean managed to grab her wrist before it struck, however. ”She has Levi’s locket,” Marco explained his actions.

”What?” Connie hissed, aiming his gun back towards the girl who was starting to look ready to wet herself. Marco grimaced at the situation he had managed to cause. He should’ve acted more calm. These were sensitive issues and no one wanted to die. ”Armin. Ask her.”

Armin blinked and turned his blue eyes towards Honovi. He carefully constructed his question. Jean helped by translating the parts that sounded wonky. Armin listened intently as the girl started to explain how she had received the locket from Levi. She opened it with shaky fingers, revealing two strands of hair inside. Red and ashy blonde. ”Levi is... Levi is at the village, held as a prisoner of sorts,” Armin explained, his brows furrowing. ”But not a prisoner. They don’t want to hurt him further. Eren is dying. He needs help.”

”So does many others,” Marco retorted quietly, staring into Honovi’s pleading eyes. He could feel the physical ache the girl radiated. he could remember the words he had uttered to Connie mere two days ago. Innocent natives. Eren, the boy had nothing to do with any of this. Honovi walked closer to Marco. ”Marco?” she tested out softly, touching his shoulder. ”Levi.”

Marco felt another hand on his shoulder, larger and stronger. ”Eren. Stop. War. I know,” Jean said quietly, wanting the young doctor to help his friend. He tried to force Marco to look into his eyes. ”Please.”

Connie and Armin watched as Marco started to gather up his supplies with haste.

Apparently saving Eren was still on the menu.

 

* * *

 

 

Eren gasped awake from his dreamland. There were gunshots. They were near. The nature was screaming. He felt tears pooling behind his eyelids. Eren was afraid to open them. The nature was in pain. His village was in pain. So many lost lives. Dead children. Screams of mothers. There was pain. Dull pain. Eren carefully opened his eyes, his body protesting movement. He glanced at the wrapped wound he had received some time ago. Eren wasn’t sure how long it had been. He carefully looked under the wrappings. The wound was black around the edges, still trickling small amounts of blood.

”What the fuck do you think you’re doing!? This is not going to help!”

Eren recognized Levi’s voice. He was close. Eren tried to get up from his small cot, but the pain he felt was something he had never experienced before. It was like his whole body was poisoned. He wanted to throw up. There were another voice that Eren didn’t recognize. They were talking about bargaining. Eren hissed, forcing himself on his feet. He had a faint feeling what might happen if he stayed. Eren held back a groan of pain as he slowly made his way to the back of the tent. He took out a knife and started to cut his way through from the other side.

He needed to get away. Escape.

Something whispered into his ear to hurry. But it was too late. Two sets of strong arms grabbed him and Eren screamed from pain. He felt a muzzle of a gun pressed into his cheek by a vicious looking man. Eren hated him on sight. The two men who held him back were younger, probably not much older than Eren. He tried to thrash against them, but the pain made him woozy and weak. ”So this boy is what all the rage is about,” the man in front of him smirked, pressing the muzzle harder into Eren’s cheek. ”I guess I can see it. Future chief. Sure,” the man smirked and motioned the two man to follow him with Eren.

Eren was brought outside. His eyes met with Levi’s. Levi was standing next to a man that reminded him of Armin. However, the man was much larger in build. ”Le-” he was about to say, but Levi merely averted his eyes. Eren felt his chest tighten. Something was different. Levi didn’t hesitate to abandon him. Eren’s heart ached, but the wind on his skin felt soothing. Everything would be alright. He dared to look around his village. It was reduced to burning tepees - screaming villagers. Gunshots. ”Please stop,” Eren whispered and the man who had been threatening him with a gun turned around with a curious look.

”This kid knows common tongue?” the man asked and Levi merely nodded. Eren grit his teeth together from pure betrayal. Sure, he had said that out loud but it didn’t mean Levi could divulge such information so carelessly. ”Then this makes everything easier,” he said with a manic grin. ”Where is your leader?”

Eren kept his mouth shut. He merely stared at the tall man with a silly hat. Eren hated it. The man clicked his tongue and the gun’s butt struck his cheek mercilessly. ”Governor Kenny,” the broad shouldered, blonde man said and walked closer. ”Maybe he doesn’t know. We found him inside that tent, in that shape. It could-”

Another strike. Eren spit out blood. The pain was nothing compared to the one his land was currently suffering by these hands. ”Governor?” Eren tested out the word in his mouth. His mind went back to the conversation he and Levi had had. It felt so long ago. ”Everything is your doing. Your war. Your guns. Your destruction.”

”Oh so he can speak,” Kenny barked out. He lifted Eren’s chin with his fingers and stared into the eyes that didn’t match. Kenny felt disgusted by them. The young boy in front of him was an abomination. Freak of nature. ”Let me ask you again. Where is your leader?” Kenny hissed, taking out his trusty knife. Eren noticed Levi moving from the corner of his eye. This probably didn’t bode well with anyone. Even the blonde man seemed to move a bit closer. ”Have you ever heard of scalping?”

”Kenny!” Levi said loudly. ”The chief will never do your bidding if you hurt his son. You’ve already done so. What are you trying to achieve?” Levi tried to reason with him. He saw tears welling in Eren’s eyes. His adrenaline was probably starting to wash off, little by little. ”He will die before you can even negotiate with his father.”

”A little bit of scalping never hurt anyone, Levi,” Kenny said and pushed the knife against Eren’s hairline, drawing blood. The vicious, pained scream from Eren’s lips silenced the entire perimeter. Kenny seized his arm, watching the blood trickle down Eren’s forehead. His skin was crawling and he dared to look at the direction of the wolf pen. The small pack stared right at him, daring him to move a muscle. Kenny felt a chill along his spine and he withdrew his knife. ”I see your point, Levi.”

Levi gulped, looking at the wolves who just stared. It was scarier than being attacked by one. It was as if their souls were sucked right off their bodies. ”Reiner. Berthdolt. Gag him,” Kenny ordered. ”We have a chief to look for.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gvgeyui: love


	6. Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marco grew paler by the second. ”Love is a fickle thing,” Kenny said, sighing loudly. "Every last person I've seen... Whether it was booze, women, or even God... Family, the king, dreams, children, power... they couldn't keep going unless they were drunk on something. They were all slaves to something. Even Levi is a slave, isn’t he? Slave for love,” Kenny laughed and shook his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry this has taken so much time to be updated. I've had my finals in med-school (please, that is hard work guys!) and then there's Christmas and I traveled to Czech too. But yeah. New chapter. I tried to skim through it and fix mistakes, but the more I read it, the more I hated this interlude/filler chapter. The next chapter is very action filled and slow-paced, so look forward to it!

”Fuck, we were too late,” Armin hissed when they reached the village that had been burned down to the last tepee. Jean ran over to Eren’s tepee that was reduced to a pile of smoldering charcoal and ash. He grit his teeth together in anger and roared from pure anger. He kicked the ashes and looked around in exasperation. Honovi tried to calm him down while Marco tried to figure out whether or not Eren was burned along with the tepee. ”He’s not here,” Marco confirmed softly.

Jean seemed to calm down at Marco’s words and he took a deep breath to further calm himself down. A whine next to his shoulder distracted him from the vicious pain he felt inside of his chest. All heads turned towards the wolf pen. Marco’s eyes scanned the large beasts and he found himself drawn to them. ”Hey, Marco-” Armin warned him, but the wolves didn’t seem to mind Marco’s calm approach. ”Why did they leave the wolves alone?” Connie asked from Armin, confused. The entire village had been burnt down, except for the wolves.

Jean watched Marco. ”Afraid,” he said with a sure voice. Jean’s eyes widened as Marco untied the rope keeping the pen’s gate closed. The wolves slowly walked out to Jean. The man crouched down and accepted the wolves’ apology. He whispered to them in a foreign language. Honovi walked around the burnt area, looking carefully at the ground. She noticed the specks of blood. She could see what had transpired. She could imagine it. Honovi turned to look at Armin. Her voice was sure and even as she told which way Eren had been taken.

”Where the sun goes down and the Darkening land is,” Armin muttered out loud at Honovi’s words. Connie whipped his head towards Armin. ”That’s East, right?” Connie affirmed with a confident voice. Marco’s snort was heard a little ways away from them. ”It’s West, Connie,” Marco corrected him softly.

Connie blushed from embarrassment and looked away. Honovi cracked a small smile, even though she couldn’t understand what was being said. She eyed Marco in wonder as the wolves circled him with mild curiosity. ”We need to go,” Armin said, watching the wolves as well. ”Tell her to show the way, Jean,” Armin asked from the familiar native, who nodded confidently. Jean gave Honovi the instructions and looked around with haste. He grabbed an abandoned bow and quiver from the ground, feeling the material beneath his fingers.

Marco grabbed Jean’s shoulder gently and gave it a reassuring squeeze. The doctor could see the unshed tears shining in Jean’s eyes. ”He’s strong, right?” Marco smiled softly, watching as Jean tried to hide his tears from him. ”We’ll save him. I promise.”

”Wado udohiyu utsati, Marco,” Jean smiled, clapping Marco on the shoulder and walking away from the baffled young doctor.

”Okay?” Marco muttered, scratching his head in wonder.

 

* * *

 

Levi sat next to Eren’s unconscious form, trying his best to keep his temperature down. Two days had passed since Kenny had raided Eren’s village and robbed the young boy of everything he had. Two days had passed since Kenny managed to get Gawonii by the balls. Two days had passed and nothing had changed. Levi grit his teeth together at their make-shift camp. Negotiations were going nowhere. Gawonii couldn’t understand Kenny’s requests. Kenny couldn’t understand Gawonii’s requests. They only thing they seemed to understand that Eren’s life was on the line and that Eren was the pawn they were using to find peace.

Levi let out a long sigh. Everything had gone to absolute shit. Levi understood what the natives wanted. He could understand every whisper, every word. It freaked him out. He didn’t want to walk up to Kenny and say that he could interpret everything for them. Levi knew that he would have to go back to England eventually. If he could understand natives fluently, it could be considered as treason. It would raise questions. Where did Levi learn? When did he have time for such a thing? Even Armin’s interpretation wasn’t perfect.

”Levi.”

The raven-haired man slowly turned to look at Erwin who had stepped into his tent. ”What do you want, Eyebrows?” Levi sighed, changing the rag on Eren’s forehead into a colder one. ”At this rate we don’t have a chip to use in the negotiations,” Levi quipped, looking at Eren’s wound that was getting worse by the day. ”Have you tried to reach to Bodt?”

Erwin stepped aside to reveal the young doctor standing behind him. Marco looked tired, so tired. But Levi could feel hope sparkling inside of his chest. ”Thank fuck,” Levi breathed out, his breath hitching from the sudden emotion that was threatening to overwhelm him. Erwin smiled, coming to kneel in front of Levi. ”Levi. Let’s give him some space. We have things to discuss.”

Marco walked over to Eren quickly, trying to shed the tiredness away from his eyes. ”Captain, I’ll take it from here. I’ll keep him alive,” Marco promised, hands probing gently at Eren’s ribs. He quickly flicked his eyes towards Levi. ”You have my word, captain.”

Levi nodded, trying to keep his composure as he walked out of the tent. He followed Erwin with quiet steps. It was a dead of night. Levi nodded his head to Reiner and Bertholdt who kept watch near Eren’s tent. They were whispering among each other. Reiner had a peculiar, even sad look in his eyes. ”Marco didn’t come alone,” Erwin said once they were reaching his tent. As he opened the flap of his tent, Levi wasn’t surprised to see Armin, Connie, Honovi and Jean sitting inside the tent with hard eyes. Jean was the first to leap up to Levi and grab his throat with murderous intent. Levi didn’t fight him.

They were staring at each other calmly. Levi could see it in Jean’s eyes. Sadness, anger, worry. Like a bear protecting its cubs. Armin and Connie grabbed at Jean, trying to pry his hands away from Levi’s neck. ”Jean. Please. It’s not his fault.”

Jean grit his teeth together, slowly releasing his hold on Levi. The shorter man took a few steps back. He breathed in calmly, trying to even out the rhythm. ”Negotiations are going nowhere,” Erwin started, not fazed by Jean’s sudden impulse to attack Levi. He looked at Armin. ”We need someone to translate,” he continued calmly.

”What are the governor’s conditions?” Armin asked quietly, afraid of the answer.

Levi closed his eyes. ”Kenny is willing to pull back his men if Gawonii hands over eighty-five natives for slavery and if he is willing to retreat towards inland,” he said, crossing his arms with a slight distaste. Jean seemed to understand what Levi was talking about. The native grabbed Armin’s shoulder in a state of panic and started to utter to him in native tongue.

”I know that it’s more than half of what you have left,” Levi said, understanding perfectly what Jean was talking about. He noticed Erwin raising his eyebrows in awe. ”I can understand you, funnily enough,” Levi said, avoiding Armin’s puzzled gaze as well. ”And apparently, you can also understand me perfectly.”

Jean stopped what he was saying to Armin and regarded Levi with pure fear and admiration. He turned to Honovi, who turned her head away. ”You didn’t tell me?” Jean hissed quietly. Honovi jumped out of her skin and kept avoiding Jean’s harsh eyes. ”I thought I was imagining it,” Honovi muttered, not liking the way Levi kept his steely eyes on them.

Erwin was just as puzzled since he couldn’t understand what the natives were talking about, but clearly, Levi had no problem. ”If you can translate,” Erwin started and looked at Levi with harsh eyes. ”We could have ended this war a lot sooner.”

”I value my life,” Levi simply said, forcing his eyes downwards. ”I am a selfish man, Erwin. I finally found something to live for. If Kenny found out...” Levi explained, not liking the way Erwin’s eyes softened at his words. ”I’m not ready to die, Erwin. There are things in this world that still make no sense to me. I know that I was putting an entire nation in danger by remaining-”

”You didn’t,” Jean said with a sure voice. Every head turned to look at Jean, even though Armin and Levi were the only ones to understand what the native was talking about. ”Do you hear gunshots? Do you hear screams?” Jean asked, closing his eyes. ”The forest is quiet. It’s resting. The massacre already happened. You can’t make things worse by staying silent,” Jean sighed, fingering his arrows in wonder. He opened his eyes to stare at Levi’s eyes.

Levi was the first to avert his eyes. ”We need to kill Kenny Ackerman,” Erwin announced quietly. The whole tent fell silent at the commander’s words. Levi felt a chill traveling along his spine and he shared a look with Erwin. This man, right in front of him, was ready to betray his beliefs for a nation that couldn’t protect itself. He was ready to betray his country. ”Erwin-”

”We can’t do it,” Erwin said. He then gestured towards Honovi and Jean. ”But their people can. If Kenny Ackerman died of a wound inflicted by a gun, we would lose our heads the moment we stepped back to England,” he explained calmly. ”This land has suffered enough in the hands of Kenny Ackerman. I can’t sit by and watch innocent people die for a madman’s ideals.”

Connie’s eyes widened from pure horror. ”No offense, but what good would it do to kill him? I’m not the biggest fan of him as a leader, but they would bring another one. They could bring someone who is even crazier than him!” Connie tried to defend his governor. ”I’m sure we can settle this with the slaves.”

”Connie! Don’t you fucking understand the situation? If we give Kenny the slaves he’s requesting, there’s nothing left,” Levi snapped at the young soldier. ”Right at this moment, there are no more than hundred natives left! If we give him more than eighty strong, young natives... They are left with twenty-something sick and old natives. Their tribe will go extinct. He has no care for them. He can’t take a sixty year old slave, can he? No. He will take people like Eren and Jean,” Levi explained, watching as understanding started to dawn on Connie’s face. ”If we get rid of Kenny, Erwin will take a temporary command of the land. It will give Eren’s people time to retreat towards inland peacefully. Then we will hope for a fair governor, who actually gives a shit.”

Connie bit his lip and nodded. Armin squeezed his shoulder reassuringly. ”Do we have a some sort of time-frame?” Armin asked quietly, afraid that someone could overhear their planning. ”How long Kenny is willing to wait for a resolution?”

Erwin scratched his stubble. ”No more than two weeks,” he said, feeling the heavy burden of war on his shoulders. He tried not to show it to his subordinates, but he knew that Levi would notice. ”By that time, if everything goes well, Eren would be ready to be part of negotiations. It could prove easier to please both sides if we had Eren there,” Erwin explained. ”That final negotiation..”

”Will end Kenny Ackerman’s life,” Levi finished quietly. ”Eren’s life would be on the line in that negotiation,” he muttered quietly, thinking about the possible income. At that point, Kenny would be threatening Gawonii to give up his people, Eren at a knife point. It wouldn’t be a negotiation anymore. Kenny was not a patient man. ”We need to start planning.”

 

* * *

 

”Oh, you’re awake,” Marco smiled at Eren, who blinked drowsily with his mismatched eyes. Marco was taken back by those eyes, not realizing that something like that was even possible. It was curious, fascinating to him. He was surprised to notice that Eren didn’t shy away from him. The boy looked like he knew who he was. ”I’m Marco.”

”I know,” Eren answered with a hoarse voice. He touched Marco’s hand softly and let out just as soft breath. ”I saw you,” he explained quietly. ”You take care of Jean,” Eren added. ”You help my wolf. Thank you.”

Marco’s eyes widened a fraction. He shouldn’t be surprised anymore, but the young man next to him managed to do that all the same. ”I swore an oath,” Marco explained to Eren. ”Primum non nocere,” he said softly, noticing how puzzled Eren looked at those words. ”First do no harm,” Marco translated with a calming voice, making sure that Eren stayed warm now that his fever was down.

Eren couldn’t help but break into a smile. ”What language?” he asked quietly, shivering from the cold evening breeze. The tent didn’t do much to keep him warm. Luckily, Marco had found a sufficient amount of blankets to keep him cozy. ”It’s latin,” Marco kept talking, mostly to keep his thoughts away from his companions. He had no idea what had transpired in Erwin’s tent. Somehow, Marco had a bad feeling about it. ”How did you know me?”

”Levi told,” Eren answered, trying to get a peek at his wound. It was wrapped in white, clean bandages. There was an odd burn beneath, but it didn’t feel too bad. Eren then touched Marco’s chest. ”Spirits likes you.”

”What?” Marco asked in a voice that was slightly humorous. He didn’t believe in supernatural. He didn’t believe in magic or spirits. He merely believed what was in front of his eyes. However, something about Eren was so ethereal. Marco wanted to believe him. ”Levi can talk and understand. You could too,” Eren explained like it was the simplest thing in the world. ”Is he okay?”

”What do you mean?” Marco asked.

”He was hurt,” Eren said, sitting up slowly. His side protested, but his worry for Levi was stronger. He thought back to Levi’s indifference at his village. Levi acted like Eren didn’t even matter to him. Eren pressed his eyes shut from the agony of such act of betrayal. Marco sensed Eren’s distress and pushed him back into lying position. ”I will look at his injuries in that case,” Marco promised quietly. ”Is something else on your mind?” he asked in a kind voice. His mind was still reeling from Eren’s words about spirits and understanding.

Eren pursed his lips together. ”He not help,” he whispered, hoping that someone could explain everything to him. ”The Kenny man came and-”

”I know,” Marco interrupted Eren when he saw tears pooling in those beautiful eyes. ”I know what he did. Erwin told us everything before I came here,” Marco said, eyeing Eren’s hairline with sad eyes. There was a small, deep cut that Marco had to stitch. Hopefully it wouldn’t scar too badly. ”We have laws, like you do as well,” Marco started to explain quietly. ”If Captain Levi had helped you in that situation, the Governor might’ve ordered to kill him,” he said. Eren eyes couldn’t hold much more moisture and Marco saw lone tears falling on his cheeks. ”We have more pressing matters at hand now,” Marco sighed quietly, starting to put his equipment away.

”My village gone,” Eren breathed out, trying to fight back against the tears. ”I’m going to kill.”

Marco remained quiet, understanding perfectly how Eren was feeling. ”For whatever it’s worth,” Marco started as he started to leave the tent. ”I am truly sorry for everything,” he whispered, leaving Eren inside. He stepped into the night air, covered in blood and dirt. Oh, how he wished for a bath.

”Fancy seeing you here, doc,” a voice next to Marco made the doctor jump from a sudden scare. He turned his head towards the man in question. The man he had despised the moment they had met in England. Kenny Ackerman. ”It’s remarkable how you found this camp so easily, despite Connie and Armin being total idiots when it comes to tracking something by foot,” Kenny said, biting into his toothpick. ”What an interesting conversation in that tent, however.”

Marco grew paler by the second. ”Love is a fickle thing,” Kenny said, sighing loudly. "Every last person I've seen... Whether it was booze, women, or even God... Family, the king, dreams, children, power... they couldn't keep going unless they were drunk on something. They were all slaves to something. Even Levi is a slave, isn’t he? Slave for love,” Kenny laughed and shook his head. ”To think, my own men keeping things like these from me. Fraternizing with a savage? What a joke. Not to mention, I think this Eren kid is a man,” Kenny muttered, keeping his eyes on Marco. ”We don’t need a doctor who doesn’t think of the well-being of his own people. Reiner. Bertholdt.”

Marco hissed as he felt a kick at the back of his knees. Reiner’s large body was right behind him. ”You’re making a mistake,” Marco said in a calm voice. ”I’m your only doctor.”

Kenny hummed in thought. ”Quite right you are, doc,” he sighed. Kenny’s plan was faulty in that sense. ”I have a better idea in that case,” Kenny said with a delighted voice. ”We’ll start the negotiations at the first light. Two can play this game.”

Marco grit his teeth together. ”What the hell are you planning?”

”Oh, but it would be quite bad for me to reveal my plans,” Kenny said with a dramatic tone. ”Bertholdt, make sure that Levi attends these negotiations as well. It wouldn’t do good for him to miss it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wado udohiyu utsati - Thank you


	7. Death

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ”Aiding the enemy and withholding crucial information about the enemy. You betrayed your country,” Bertholdt said, walking closer to Levi. The shorter man merely lifted his arms to be shackled. The iron cuffs were heavy and coated with drying blood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been way too long. I kept proof-reading this and I realized that I absolutely, totally hate this chapter because it's so poorly written. And it's been so long since I've last written anything that I keep going back and fixing and then realizing I don't know what I had planned for this story and what happened previously... Ugh. But, you know, I'll still finish this story, but I need to get my flow back. This chapter has been sitting for months and I have to start writing a new chapter after this. I am so sorry for the delay. 
> 
> WARNINGS:  
> Major Character Deaths  
> Poor penmanship
> 
> New characters:  
> Pelipa "Lover of Horses" - Petra Ral  
> Elsu "Soaring Falcon" - Eld Jinn  
> Ouray "Arrow" - Oluo Bozard

The next morning painted the horizon with orange and red hues. Levi found himself admiring the view, even though it reminded him of Eren’s burning village and the bloodshed. Everything had been good for Eren before they had arrived to these beautiful shores. The wind on his skin was chilly. It felt like a warning. Levi’s whole body screamed to get Eren and run away to somewhere peaceful.

Where was the peace? New settlers would come. New wars would start. New bloodshed. Eren had been right about their kind - they did bring destruction. Levi closed his eyes and sighed loudly. ”What do you want?” Levi asked when he felt a presence not too far from him. It was hostile. Scared, even. Levi had a faint idea who it might be. ”Upon the orders of the Governor, I’m here to take you into custody,” the voice said behind him. Bertholdt.

Levi felt a smile tugging at his lips. Things really had gone south. They knew it would happen when Marco was nowhere to be found. He was, most likely, also kept as a prisoner right now. Levi turned around. ”And what if I refuse to do so?” Levi calmly asked, but was immediately met with a warning shot. ”I see. Well, what am I being accused of?”

”Aiding the enemy and withholding crucial information about the enemy. You betrayed your country,” Bertholdt said, walking closer to Levi. The shorter man merely lifted his arms to be shackled. The iron cuffs were heavy and coated with drying blood. Levi didn’t want to know who had suffered in these cuffs. ”Couldn’t even clean them up? Fucking shit.”

Bertholdt remained quiet as he poked Levi with his musket. ”To the upstream,” Bertholdt said. This was something that had Levi reeling from a surprise. Upstream? Right now? They were going to have negotiations now? Levi wanted to curse their luck. His mind was screaming. Think. Calm down, Levi reminded himself and took a deep, calming breath. Where was Eren? Marco had treated him last night. Jean? Preparing his people with Honovi. Connie? Probably still sleeping. Levi bit his lip, trying to slow down his heartbeat. Erwin and Armin would be on top of all this, Levi promised himself.

The walk was so long that it gave Levi some time to think. He could easily take out Bertholdt. Bertholdt was a good soldier, but he wasn’t very confident. Taking down one of his own soldiers could result in immediate death. Not that his odds were looking good now either. Before Levi could make up his mind, Bertholdt was attacked. By a raccoon. Levi’s eyes widened from surprise as he saw the little critter bite every piece of skin it could get to. ”Mika?” Levi asked in wonder, easily recognizing the fine patterns on the raccoons fur.

Bertholdt yelled from terror, reaching for a knife. Levi knew it was an instinct when he blocked Bertholdt’s strike with his shackled arms, feeling the knife pierce his arm instead of Mika’s tiny, beating heart. Levi hissed when Bertholdt pulled the knife away and tried to strike Levi again in a state of panic. The raccoon bit into Bertholdt’s hand and the taller man dropped the knife onto the forest floor. Levi grabbed the knife quickly, making a quick decision. This was what it had come to, unfortunately. He brought the knife down to Bertholdt’s chest. However, Levi knew he missed his heart when Bertholdt let out a mighty roar, tackling Levi under him. ”Don’t fight this!” Bertholdt yelled at his captain, but Levi had already set his mind on killing the young soldier.

Maybe it had been the raccoon making that choice for him. Levi kicked Bertholdt’s groin, but he didn’t budge. Bertholdt pulled the knife off from his chest and he pressed it against Levi’s throat. ”I’m sure that young savage will do our bidding even if you’re dead,” he hissed quietly, the knife slowly drawing blood.

Suddenly it was over. Levi found himself staring at Bertholdt’s lifeless eyes. He felt small drops of blood falling to his cheeks. An arrow was sticking out of Bertholdt’s forehead. Levi had no idea who had saved him, but he pushed the dead soldier off from his small body. An arm was extended to him. He recognized the man from the waterfall. He had been standing next to Gawonii. ”Thank you,” Levi muttered, taking the stranger’s hand with a mild caution.

Levi knew he shouldn’t be surprised anymore, but he was. He could still understand the foreign language perfectly. ”I’ve heard that you have a connection,” the man said, regarding Levi with his brown eyes. ”I am Kuruk. Your spirit animal led us here,” he explained, gesturing towards three other warriors and the raccoon.”This is Pelipa,” Kuruk introduced him to a petite young woman, who had a kind smile on her face. ”This man is Elsu. The one next to him is Ouray,” Kuruk introduced the last two men to Levi. ”Pahana has told us everything with Honovi. I think Ouray owes an apology.”

Levi stared at the group quietly. He turned his head towards ’Ouray’ who spit into the ground and walked over to him. He was definitely a bit older than the rest. Maybe it was just how he looked. ”I don’t give a shit about you white faces, but sorry about that arrow. I know you protected Igasho.”

Levi didn’t listen to what Ouray had to say. ”Are you even listening?” Ouray groaned. Levi turned around and walked over to Bertholdt’s corpse. He dug around Bertholdt’s pockets and retrieved a key. ”Listen, I don’t know what is going on, but I think your chief is in danger,” Levi said while fumbling with the shackles. The girl, Pelipa, walked over to him. She helped him to get rid of the restraining shackles. ”Thanks,” Levi muttered. He picked up the gun that was lying a bit further ahead. ”We were expecting a little bit more time-”

”So we’ve heard,” Elsu stepped forward. ”We are the men who will dispose of Kenny Ackerman,” Elsu said, confident smirk slipping to his face. Levi studied the group uneasily. Sure, there were four strong looking warriors, but Kenny wasn’t an idiot. ”We have studied his movements. He is at the upstream with Gawonii, Igasho and the rest of our tribe. Your soldiers are also present,” Pelipa explained to Levi. She gripped her spear a little bit tighter. ”We are prepared to die for our chief and his son. Without them, we would be lost,” Pelipa said, her hard gaze on Levi. ”Please, don’t take him away from us.”

Levi was taken back by Pelipa’s words. Kuruk smiled sadly. ”Pelipa means that Igasho would go with you to see the world. We are fond of our wolf cub,” Kuruk explained. Ouray averted his gaze. He then cleared his throat and pointed towards the upstream. ”We should go if we want to end this war today.”

Levi looked at the gun he was carrying. This would be the first time he’d use it on someone of his kind. His own people. No, Levi reprimanded himself. Natives were just like him. They were no different. They had the same red blood in their veins. Same, strong, beating heart. Levi steeled himself.

”Yeah. Let’s end it.”

 

* * *

 

Erwin Smith knew that Kenny Ackerman was a vicious, impatient man. To Erwin’s credit, he had sent Jean and Honovi out at the dead of night. Erwin knew it had been the right decision to make when he had seen Reiner dragging Eren out of the tent before sun had properly risen. He knew it was a right decision when Marco was nowhere to be seen. Kenny Ackerman knew that someone was scheming.

”Don’t you think Bertholdt is taking a bit long?” Reiner asked from his commander quietly. Erwin turned his head to look at the strong, young man who didn’t feel like himself, at all. At their feet was Eren, on his knees, staring towards the other side of the river. ”Do you think Levi is an easy person to capture?” Erwin asked from Reiner.

”Your friend is dead,” Eren said flatly from his spot. Erwin and Reiner both froze at Eren’s words. Erwin was surprised by Eren’s words. Not because Eren knew, but because Levi had apparently killed Bertholdt. It wasn’t something they had initially planned. Erwin furrowed his eyebrows in thought. Maybe something else had happened? If Levi didn’t appear with Bertholdt...

Reiner grabbed a handful of Eren’s hair and forced his head backwards. The boys stared at each other with ire. ”Trying to scare us? You little-”

”Reiner,” Erwin warned the soldier. They were in a very delicate situation. He eyed Armin and Kenny on the other side of the river. The rest of the natives were standing behind their chief, who kept his eyes on Eren the entire time. Erwin had a faint idea of Kenny’s plan. They would use Levi as a bargaining chip, knowing that Eren would not let Levi die. The kid would have probably given his own life to protect Levi from harm. Sappy, Erwin thought. He did understand love. After all, he had someone waiting for him to get home eventually.

On the other side, Armin felt heat growing under his shirt. He was getting sweaty. His hands were sweaty. Gawonii wasn’t relenting. Their bet had been that Gawonii would give Kenny the slaves he was asking for. It would lighten the atmosphere just a little. However, Gawonii was definitely placing the lives of his people over Eren’s life. The needs of the many, and all that. Preserving their tribe. Armin could understand. ”The chief says that his son’s life is not worth eighty-five warriors,” Armin muttered quietly. ”He is bargaining for five.”

”Five?!” Kenny spat out in absolute horror. ”Five?” he repeated and turned to look at the boy on the other side of the river. Bertholdt still hadn’t arrived. He couldn’t kill Gawonii just yet. Levi was the only thing they could use right now. The chief’s son would definitely save Levi’s life for eighty-five slaves. ”Tell him that we will make sure their tribe goes extinct if they don’t relent. We will kill that boy and him. Make sure that the savage understands that. Fucking stupid shits.”

Armin jumped a little at Kenny’s hostile voice. He turned to look at Gawonii, but not before he saw movement on top of the waterfall. Armin’s heart started beating up a storm. He didn’t know who was there, but oh how he hoped it was Levi. His eyes met Gawonii’s. Armin’s heart stopped and he couldn’t form words. Something was wrong. The entire forest had fallen silent. The only sound was an arrow whistling right next to him. Gawonii retrieved a spear from the ground to strike Kenny.

A scream was heard from the other side. ”Edoda!” a voice, so clear and full of pain. Armin’s first reaction was to make sure that Eren was still alive and well. He was. Gawonii, however, was not. Armin’s eyes widened from the blood that kept spurting from Gawonii’s wound. Kenny had his knife buried deep into Gawonii’s throat. The natives behind Gawonii got ready to attack. ”Reiner! Do it!” Kenny yelled. ”Don’t you guys move a fucking muscle!”

Armin’s heart leaped and he hurried to tell the natives to stay put. He pointed towards the other side where Eren’s face was pressed into the rocky shore. The tip of Reiner’s knife was pressing into Eren’s skull, ready to make the last plunge if necessary. Everyone halted their movements. Kenny watched as Gawonii crumpled to the ground, bleeding to his death. The governor turned around. ”Alright. Who shot that arrow? That was not nice,” Kenny said, picking up the arrow he narrowly missed. He examined the fine feathers curiously. ”I think someone’s aim needs a bit more practice-” Kenny huffed, taking an aim towards the waterfall.

Armin watched in horror as the gun went off and someone fell from the top. It was a native. The corpse floated to the surface and started to travel towards the downstream. He could see sandy blonde hair, dyed in red. Armin felt sick to his stomach. ”Pray tell me, why the hell did you kill the chief!?” Armin hissed, trying to divert Kenny’s attention from the waterfall. If that was the squad Jean had been talking about, it was going to get annihilated-

Another arrow. From two different directions. Armin squeaked when he heard a gunshot and dared to look at the other side of the river. Reiner was down and Erwin was the one keeping Eren in place for now. It eased the tension on their side. Erwin would never kill Eren at this point.

Eren trashed against Erwin, not able to look at Reiner’s dead eyes right next to him. ”Let me go! You shit!” Eren screamed, feeling Erwin only hold him tighter. Erwin held back a laugh in this serious situation. Shit? Really? He shook his head and spared a look towards the forest where the gunshot had come from. Erwin had expected Levi to come right away after shooting Reiner. Something was wrong. He eyed Kenny who had an arrow sticking out of his shoulder. It didn’t seem to bother him. ”Eren. Calm down. I’m not going to kill you.”

”My father,” Eren whispered, closing his eyes from despair. ”You people cruel! We do nothing! You beasts!” he screamed again, feeling the pain increase. ”You-”

Another gunshot was heard from the forest. Eren ceased his trashing and Erwin eyed the edge of the forest carefully. The shot wasn’t aimed at Kenny. There was someone else in the forest, trying to get rid of Levi and his squad of natives. Meanwhile Erwin was thinking about the possible scenarios, Eren managed to free his hands from Erwin’s grasp. Knowing that the soldiers kept hidden knives in their boots, Eren immediately grabbed a small knife from Erwin’s and stabbed him in the calf. ”What the fuck,” Erwin managed to hiss out from surprise. Eren was already darting towards the woods. ”Armin! Connie!”

Connie was the first to react to Eren’s sudden impulse to run towards the gunshots. Kenny was seething from rage as he snapped the arrow sticking inside his shoulder in half. They were outnumbered. ”Soldiers! Bring me as many slaves as you can. Kill the ones that resist,” Kenny ordered calmly. The entire upstream was in chaos after that.

Armin stared at Kenny in horror, reaching for his gun. Kenny was quick to punch Armin unconscious. ”Fuckers,” Kenny hissed, deciding to follow Eren into the forest. He would make sure that the savages who managed to escape would not have a strong leader to guide them.

 

* * *

 

”Traute Caven, why am I not surprised?” Levi hissed quietly, kneeling on the forest floor. His shoulder was bleeding from the wound Traute had inflicted on him with her gun. Traute’s aim had always been abysmal. ”Kenny’s little lapdog. I can’t believe there was a woman with us the entire time. What did you do all this time? Spend some time in Kenny’s cabin and suck his tiny cock?”

Traute stared at Levi with expressionless eyes. ”And what did you do? Fuck little savages since you can’t do better?” Traute asked, walking closer to Levi. ”Where’s your little savage friends? I admire your ambush, but unfortunately you only prolonged the inevitable,” Traute taunted, keeping a close eye on her surroundings. ”You’re protecting a species that will go extinct sooner or later. There is no use, Levi.”

Levi huffed from pain. He knew that Traute would kill him the second he made a move. Staying put was the best option right now. ”You’re underestimating them, Traute. You’re thinking they’re beasts who cannot think for themselves. You’re thinking they’re not intelligent. I can assure you...” Levi grit his teeth together as he got up on his own two feet. ”That will be your downfall.”

”Interesting theory,” Traute said evenly. She watched Levi with calm eyes as he got up from the ground. ”I must say, you are a seasoned soldier. Wound on you thigh, wound on your shoulder, wound on your forearm. I have to hand it to you captain,” Traute let a smile slip on her lips. It was not a kind smile. It was the reincarnation of the devil. ”Once the governor has rounded up the slaves, we will kill the elders. The babies. The sick ones,” Traute muttered. ”This land will be ours. We’ll be rich. The King-”

”Rich?” Levi shook his head. ”Do you even have an idea how to take care of this land? There are so many new animals, plants... You wouldn’t know what to do with them without their help,” Levi countered, looking at Traute like she was stupid. ”You’ll ruin this land and there will be nothing but ashes and dead bodies left to fend for.”

Traute stared at Levi, contemplating. However, she aimed her gun at Levi’s head. ”Sound argument, but it does not change the fact that a lot of savages are going to die today. Unfortunately, you will be one of them,” Traute whispered quietly, igniting the matchlock. ”Goodbye, Levi Ackerman.”

”Captain Levi!” Connie yelled, aiming his gun at Traute. Levi whipped his head towards the young soldier in horror. Traute had also changed her aim towards the immediate threat, Connie. The gun went off. Connie found himself lying on the ground, with something heavy lodged on his chest. He groaned from pain. Connie could hear Levi yelling at Traute. Traute was screaming. He opened his eyes, only to see Eren keeping him down on the ground. ”Did you just-?” Connie asked.

”Yes,” Eren answered, looking towards Traute who was currently having a fistfight with Levi. He grimaced from the sting on his ribs, still feeling the wound Marco had treated last night. ”You almost die,” Eren commented idly, getting up from Connie’s chest. He slowly turned to face Levi and Traute. He could see the way Levi’s chest heaved from exertion. He could see the blood, he could feel the pain. He walked closer to the battling pair. After that, it lasted less than five seconds. Eren swept Traute off of her feet with a swift kick to her knee. Levi finished her by striking a knife right through her heart. ”Thanks,” Levi huffed, taking off his stained white shirt to examine the bullet wound on his shoulder. Luckily it had went right through. ”Are you okay?”

Eren averted his gaze from Levi’s wound and shook his head. He saw Connie approaching them hesitantly. ”I am not,” Eren said, his voice finally cracking under the pressure. His people were dead. His father, the chief, was dead. All because of a madman with terrible vision of future. ”I’m sorry,” Connie whispered to Eren. He could almost feel the pain that radiated from the young native. Connie felt responsible for some of it. Eren’s breath hitched, but he tried to hold back his tears. Connie carefully touched Eren’s shoulder and squeezed it. ”I’m so sorry.”

Levi watched quietly, feeling responsibility on his shoulders as well. How could they ever begin to fix everything?

**Author's Note:**

> Heyatahesdi - Be careful  
> Mattaquenatorath - I don't understand


End file.
